Taking home the fair food experience

KAREN WIGHT

July at the Orange County Fair -- the time of the year when the

essential food groups triangle gets turned upside down. Just walking

down concession row is fattening.

Unfortunately, my kids can rattle off the entire menu selection in

great detail. Their eyes longingly glaze over, as they describe their

favorites. The permanent mumble in their voice becomes more

articulated, and the conversation becomes multi-syllabic as they list

the six topping choices for funnel cake: regular, cinnamon, apple,

strawberries and whipped cream, chocolate chip or... everything.

Annie’s favorite is the funnel cake, no questions asked. This

year, the 10-pound buns also got a rave review. The bread is not

actually 10 pounds, but it is smothered in butter, garlic and cheese.

Maybe the 10-pound moniker refers to the weight you gain after eating

it.

Annie’s friend Earl (acronym for eats a real lot) gave the Fried

Snickers two-thumbs up. And by the way, Earl is very slender and very

beautiful, so we feel like we can make fun of her eating habits.

Always go to the fair with an Earl; that way you can have sample

bites.

Breck declared the foot-long corn dogs his favorite this year. In

fact, merely calling it a favorite is an understatement. He’s been

talking about it for more than a week. The fried Oreos were also a

hit. One of his buddies ate three fried cheese sticks. Ugh. When the

boys talk about the fair food their eyebrows raise, their eyes widen,

and their voices are infused with pure joy. I guess the way to a

man’s heart is still through his stomach.

Ben’s choices are less dangerous: barbecued corn.

And me? The truth is I like anything that I don’t have to shop

for, put away, cook or clean up.

In the spirit of keeping summer alive throughout the year, the

following recipes are a guaranteed hit:

FUNNEL CAKES

(from southernfood.com)

3 eggs, beaten

2 cups milk

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

Oil for deep-frying

Sifted confectioner’s sugar

Beat eggs with milk. Sift together flour, sugar, salt and baking

powder; add to eggs and milk. Beat until very smooth. Heat oil in

deep fryer to 370 degrees. Holding the funnel with one finger,

keeping the opening closed, and fill with batter.

Open the end of the funnel and allow batter to run out in a stream

into the hot oil. Move funnel from center, swirling outward in a

circular pattern. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown.

Transfer fried funnel cakes to paper towels to drain. Shake sifted

confectioner’s sugar over drained funnel cakes.

Makes approximately 20 cakes, depending on size.

DEEP FRIED TWINKIES

(from The Chip Shop, New York City)

For Twinkies:

6 Twinkies

Popsicle sticks

4 cups vegetable oil

Flour for dusting

For batter:

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 tablespoon oil 1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Chill or freeze Twinkies for several hours or overnight.

Heat 4 cups vegetable oil in deep fryer to 375 degrees. To make

batter, mix together milk, vinegar and oil. In another bowl, blend

flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk wet ingredients into dry and

continue mixing until smooth. Refrigerate while oil heats.

Push stick into Twinkie lengthwise, leaving about two inches to

use as a handle, dust with flour and dip into the batter. Rotate

Twinkie until batter covers the entire cake. Place carefully in hot

oil. The Twinkie will float; hold it under with a utensil to ensure

even browning. It should turn golden in 3 to 4 minutes.

Drain Twinkie on a paper towel. Allow Twinkie to sit for 5 minutes

before serving.

Dinner party variation: Slice Twinkie into four pieces. Flour and

batter each piece before frying. Accompany with Berry Sauce.

Berry Sauce:

1 10-ounce jar of seedless raspberry preserves

1 cup fresh or frozen mixed berries

In a saucepan, heat preserves over low heat until melted. Add 1

cup of fresh or frozen mixed berries. Heat until sauce just simmers.

Cover and refrigerate until served.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs

Thursdays.