Fabulous Fair Food {Outrageous Creations}

The Country Fair has come to town.  Just a few blocks from my office, where my Farmers’ Market used to sit, is now a whirling twirling full blown fair.  No shortage of rides & attractions, tractors & steam engines, pigs & chickens, rodeo riders & alligator wrestlers, and a myriad of Fabulous Fair Food vendors.

All across this country, State & County Fairs are trying to one up each other on who can put out the most outrageous food options.  The days of cotton candy, corn dogs, and popcorn, have been kicked up…..I decided to do a little Fair Food research to see if I could timeline some of these crazy creations.

In 2010, we were introduced to the Corn Dog Cheese Pizza, Deep Fried Bologna (Corn Dog Style), Chicken Fried Bacon, the Chocolate Tornado (a spiral cut potato, deep fried, on a stick, dipped in chocolate), and my favorite Deep Fried Beer…for real (beer filled pretzel pocket, deep fried).

In 2011, the Deep Fried Salsa balls made their debut (salsa ingredients rolled into a ball, dipped in masa, covered in crushed tortilla chips, and deep fried), Fried Bubble Gum (bubble gum flavored marshmallow, dipped in batter, deep fried), Deep Fried Kool-Aid (Kool-Aid infused cake batter, deep fried), Deep Fried Butter, and my favorite Red Velvet Funnel Cakes.

In 2012, a new batch of Fabulous Fair Food was introduced.  My Red Velvet Funnel Cakes were topped by Carrot Cake Funnel Cakes, Deep Fried Cupcakes, the Double Bacon Corndog (hot dog wrapped in bacon, deep fried, dipped in bacon bit batter, deep fried again), Philly Cheese Steak Egg Rolls, Deep Fried Jambalaya, and my favorite Spaghetti & Meatball on a Stick (cooked spaghetti blended with meatball mix, formed into a ball, dipped in garlic batter, and you guessed it…..deep fried).  Click here to see my attempt at recreating this one in my kitchen today.  Pretty tasty!!

I’ve been racking my brain this week trying to envision some outrageous creation that hasn’t been done.  The beauty of the internet is with the click of a button you can indeed confirm that most everything you can imagine has been deep fried and served on a stick.  But I think I have an original.  My favorite childhood treat was a Dusty Miller Sundae…vanilla ice cream, hot fudge sauce, generous sprinkling of malted milk powder, topped with whipped cream.  Let’s turn it inside out….chocolate truffel, rolled in malted milk powder, encased in vanilla ice cream, coated in crunchy goodness….and deep fried.  Shall we give it a try?!!  We will call these Inside Out Dusty Miller Sundaes, deep fried and served on a stick!