These recipes were just some of the 1st place winners at this years KY State Fair. I hope you enjoy them.
BetK
Old-fashioned peanut brittle
2 cups sugar
½ cup water
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup butter
2 cups raw Spanish peanuts (try pecans or cashews)
1 teaspoon baking soda
Butter 2 cookie sheets (either very large or with shallow rims).
Heat together sugar, water and corn syrup, and cook over medium heat,
stirring to dissolve the sugar and bringing it to a boil.
When syrup boils, add butter and, stirring frequently, cook until the temperature reaches 230 degrees. Then add peanuts. When temperature reaches 280 degrees (this will take quite awhile on medium heat), stir constantly until it reaches the hard-crack stage at 305. Remove from heat, and quickly stir in baking soda, mixing well.
Pour onto cookie sheets, and cool completely. Loosen from pans when candy hardens and break into pieces.
Makes 2½ pounds.
TIP:
Mixing the baking soda in at the end makes for more air bubbles in the brittle, so it isn’t as tough
Sour cream peach pie
Basic pie pastry:
11/3 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup vegetable shortening
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons ice water
Pie filling:
2 eggs, slightly beaten
8 ounces sour cream
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
3 cups thinly sliced, peeled peaches
Topping:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
To make the pastry: Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl, and add shortening. Cut in the shortening until mixture is the size of peas. Add water, and stir it in. When the dough begins to come together, press it all into a ball and flatten it slightly. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Using a floured rolling pin, roll dough disk on a lightly floured surface from the center out in each direction, forming a 12-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie pan, and crimp edges or trim as desired.
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix eggs and sour cream. Stir in sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir in peaches until they are coated.
Transfer peach mixture to crust, and bake 15 minutes.
As the pie bakes, mix topping. Combine flour and brown sugar in a bowl, and add butter. Cut butter into dry ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of peaches and bake 25 to 30 minutes more or until pie appears nearly set in the center when gently shaken. Cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator.
Serves 8.
Devil’s food cake with orange buttercream filling and milk chocolate frosting
Cake:
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cocoa
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup shortening
1¾ cups sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier liqueur or other orange-flavored liqueur
3 eggs, separated
11/3 cups cold water
Buttercream filling:
6 tablespoons butter
¼ cup fresh orange juice
4 to 5 cups sifted powdered sugar
1½ teaspoon finely grated orange peel
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (or other orange) liqueur
Few drops of orange food coloring
Chocolate frosting:
6-ounce package milk chocolate chips
¼ cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup sour cream
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
For cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour 2 8-inch cake pans (Buckley’s prize-winner was baked in square pans).
In a bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a mixing bowl, beat together shortening and 1 cup sugar until well-combined. Add vanilla and orange liqueur. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating on medium until well-blended. Add dry ingredients and water alternately; blend until smooth.
Using a clean bowl and beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining ¾ cup sugar, and beat until stiff. Fold egg whites into batter. Scrape batter evenly into prepared cake pans, and bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until cakes test done.
Cool completely and remove from pans. Using a ruler, place toothpicks halfway up the sides of the cake at 3-inch intervals all the way around. This will guide your knife as you split the layers. Using a long serrated-blade knife, slice the layers in half along the top edge of the guiding toothpicks. Brush off crumbs.
For buttercream filling: Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Alternately add the orange juice and powdered sugar. Stir in grated orange rind, liqueur and food coloring, and chill.
For frosting: Melt chocolate and butter over simmering water in a double boiler. Stir to blend completely. Remove, and cool about 10 minutes. Add vanilla and sour cream. Beat with mixer, adding 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time until frosting is of spreading consistency.
To assemble: Place first layer of cake on plate. Spread 1/3 of the orange buttercream on cake, leaving a ½-inch edge uncovered. Top with second layer, and spread another 1/3 of filling over. Top with third layer, and spread rest of filling. Top with fourth layer, and cover cake with frosting. Decorate as desired.
Serves 12.
Maple bourbon pecan pie
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup dark corn syrup
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups pecan halves
1 unbaked piecrust, plus more for decorations, if desired
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Melt butter. When it’s cool, beat with sugar. Add eggs, and mix well. Add corn syrup, maple syrup, bourbon and vanilla, and stir to combine. Fold in 1 cup pecans, and pour into prepared pie shell. Arrange remaining pecan halves on top in concentric circles. Arrange leaf-design cutouts of dough on top of pie. Wrap crust edge with 3-inch wide aluminum foil, and bake for 1 hour or until set.
Serves. 8.
Brownies with a bite
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup all-purpose flour
1½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper
4 eggs
1 cup chopped Mexican chocolate (or semisweet morsels)
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Grease and flour a 7-by-11-inch baking pan. Combine butter and chocolate in heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly until both are melted.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cinnamon and ground chipotle. Add sugar mixture to melted chocolate mixture, stirring to combine. Add eggs, mixing until smooth.
Stir in chopped Mexican chocolate or morsels. Pour mixture into baking pan and bake until the center is set, about 35 minutes. Cool completely, and cut into small squares. Especially delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Makes 24 brownies.