Fair food can be found
– or made – all year long
When it comes to county fairs, there are certain flavor profiles
that can be expected. There will be sweet and salty items, such as
cotton candy, candy apples and kettle corn. And about
three-quarters of the food fare will be deep fried. San Benito
County’s fair followed suit last weekend.
Three booths offered corn dogs, including one that had polish
corn dogs for those looking for a little more spice. In addition to
the golden brown corn dogs, there were deep-fried onions,
mushrooms, artichoke hearts, zucchini, French fries, egg rolls,
Oreos, Twinkies, funnel cake and more.
Fair food can be found – or made – all year long
When it comes to county fairs, there are certain flavor profiles that can be expected. There will be sweet and salty items, such as cotton candy, candy apples and kettle corn. And about three-quarters of the food fare will be deep fried. San Benito County’s fair followed suit last weekend.
Three booths offered corn dogs, including one that had polish corn dogs for those looking for a little more spice. In addition to the golden brown corn dogs, there were deep-fried onions, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, zucchini, French fries, egg rolls, Oreos, Twinkies, funnel cake and more.
I know some people who eat fairly healthy most of the year, on a diet of homegrown vegetables and organic produce from local stores, who give in to the temptation of a crispy corn dog once a year at the fair. My own weakness at the County Fair is the beer-battered mushrooms and the onion blossom. I rarely fry anything at home – save the beer-battered Vidalia onion rings I make about once a year – but it’s hard to resist when the foods come out fresh from the fryer at the fair on a windy afternoon. Dipped in a bit of ranch dressing, the vegetables have just the right mix of crisp and soft textures.
My mom’s weak spot is the funnel cake, another deep-fried delicacy, sprinkled with powdered sugar, then topped with strawberries and whipped cream. It may just be the rarity of these treats that makes them so delicious.
This year at the fair, there were a few offerings that locals can get year round. In San Benito, though, there were a few fair treats that can be found year round. San Benito Pasta, 360 Sixth St., 638-9400, had a booth nestled between all the deep-fried foods that offered meat or cheese ravioli with marinara sauce and Italian meatball subs. It might not be typical fair fare, but of all the treats my family purchased on a Sunday afternoon, the ravioli were the hands-down favorite. It’s a flavor that locals can get year-round, too. San Benito Pasta Company, in a location just down the block from the Pinnacle office on Sixth Street, sells its handmade frozen ravioli and sauce six days a week.
Candy apples are another fair food that can be found all year in San Benito. De Brito’s Chocolate Factory, 160 Briggs Road, 637-0164, had a booth in the pavilion that sold caramel apples, along with toffee and some of the other candy treats created at the factory off Hwy. 25. The factory has a small shop that is open six days a week. The apple offerings range from Plain Jane, with just a caramel coating, to more gourmet treats such as yogurt rum raisin, pumpkin pie or apple pie a la mode. The full offerings can be seen online at www.debritochocolate.com.
As for all that fried food, here is a recipe that captures the essence of fried food with a lighter batter and sesame seed oil.
Tempura
Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence
Tempura batter:
1 egg yolk
1 c. ice water
1 c. rice flour
In a mixing bowl, lightly beat egg yolk and pour in ice water, slightly mix. Add the flour all at once, stroke a few times with a fork just until ingredients are loosely combined. The batter should be somewhat lumpy. Yield: 4 servings
Tempura dipping sauce:
1/2 c. mirin or sake
1/2 c. Tamari soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 c. grated daikon radish
1 tsp. ginger, grated
In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, combine mirin, soy sauce and sugar. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until sugar dissolves. Transfer to a bowl, add grated radish and ginger just before serving. Yield: 1 cup
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 tbsp. sesame oil, for flavoring frying oil
1 c. flour, for dusting
Traditional tempura ingredients:
1/2 lb. large shrimp, cleaned, tails on
1/2 lb. scallops
1 c. broccoli florets
1 sweet potato, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally in strips
4 ounces Chinese green beans, ends trimmed
4 ounces mushrooms
5 stalks asparagus, ends trimmed
1 red bell pepper, cut in strips
2 Japanese eggplants, halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices
Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil to 375 degrees F in a wok or deep-fryer. Flavor with sesame oil. Dry the vegetables well. Dust shrimp and vegetables in flour to soak up remaining moisture, shake off excess.
Dip the shrimp and vegetables into the batter one by one. Drop six pieces at a time in hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry until golden brown, turning once, about 3 minutes.
To keep the oil clean, skim the small bits of batter that float in the oil between batches. Remove the fried pieces from the oil and drain on a paper towel for a few seconds. Serve with dipping sauce.
Yield: 8 servings
Funnel cake
Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen
2 c. milk
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) melted butter
Powdered sugar, for topping
Combine milk, egg, vanilla in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and sugar and gradually add to wet ingredients. Beat with a mixer until a smooth batter forms. Fold in melted butter. Pour batter into a funnel or squeeze bottle while using your index finger to stop the flow of the batter. Bring the funnel over the hot oil and release your finger to start a stream of batter while moving the funnel in a circular motion to create spiral-like shapes.
Fry for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown and slightly puffed. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
