2 Georgia women place in NC State Fair cooking contest
Take that Georgia!
Two sisters traveled from Athens, Ga., to go to the N.C. State Fair. To make their experience complete, they decided to enter a cooking competition. And they won.
Susan Kraft, 18, and Laura Kraft, 21, placed second and third in the N.C. Sweet Potato Commission’s recipe contest.
Laura Kraft, an entomology major at the University of Georgia, explained that she first heard about the N.C. State Fair several ago from a speaker who visited the university. That speaker mentioned in passing that an entomologist had grown the largest pumpkin at that year’s N.C. State Fair.
“I didn’t even know state fairs still existed,” said Laura Kraft, who is from Alpharetta, Ga.
So Laura Kraft went to the Georgia State Fair. Her impression: “It was not to my expectations.”
Three years later, Laura Kraft and her sister decided to travel to the N.C. State Fair. They planned to come for the first Friday of the fair to enjoy the carnival rides and spend Saturday visiting all the agriculture exhibits. When their mother heard about their plans, Laura Kraft said, their mother joked: “Are you going to enter a contest?”
So that’s what they did. They had to be smart about their entries since they would only have access to a mini-fridge and a microwave in their hotel room. They made their entries beforehand.
Susan Kraft’s Sweet Potato Pie with Bitter Chocolate and Sweet Chili took second place, and Laura Kraft’s Vegetarian Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Curry won third. “We were thrilled,” Laura Kraft said.
Now, some regular cooking contest competitors took issue with two out-of-state women winning since the premium book says contests are open to North Carolina residents.
But organizer Lisa Prince points out that the special cooking competitions are sponsored by food companies (House-Autry Mills, King Arthur Flour) and regional organizations (N.C. peanut growers, pork council and beef council), which set their own rules.
“Each year, these contests are decided by each individual sponsor,” Prince wrote in an email. “They approve the theme, rules and put up the prize money. That’s why each contests’ rules may be slightly different. We are happy and flattered that people from other states want to come to our fair and participate in our competitions, instead of their own state. That speaks highly of the North Carolina State Fair!”
I agree. I hope these sisters come back next year and bring friends.
Andrea Weigl: 919-829-4848, aweigl@newsobserver.com, @andreaweigl
More Winning Recipes
All the winning recipes from this year’s N.C. State Fair special cooking competitions can be found online: nando.com/2l9.
PB&J Wontons
This recipe from Gretchen Van De Carr of Durham won first place in the N.C. Peanut Growers Association PB&J Contest at the 2015 N.C. State Fair.
1 cup unsalted, unsweetened peanut butter
1 cup pepper jelly
24-36 wonton wrappers
3 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large rimmed sheet pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Lay out wonton wrappers on parchment paper, leaving a little room to work between each.
Place 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of peanut butter in the center of each wonton.
Place 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of pepper jelly on top of the peanut butter in the center of each wonton.
Fill a small bowl of water. Dip your finger in the water and run it along all edges of the wrapper. Fold wrapper into a triangle and press edges together with finger or a fork. Repeat with remaining wrappers.
Brush the tops of the triangles with olive oil. Sprinkle wontons with salt and pepper.
Bake for 17 to 20 minutes. Let cool for at least 5 minutes. Enjoy warm or cold. Any leftovers store nicely in a Ziploc for up to a week.
Yield: 24 to 36 servings
Sweet Potato Pie Doughnuts
This recipe from Mellissa Ubbens of Cary won first place in the N.C. Sweet Potatoes Commission’s recipe contest at the 2015 N.C. State Fair.
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups sweet potatoes, baked, peeled and mashed
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup loosely packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup roasted pecans, roughly chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray doughnut pan with cooking spray or coat with melted butter.
In a mixer, beat together the oil, eggs, sugar, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking powder. Once mixed, slowly add the flour. Fill doughnut pan 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 15-18 minutes.
Once doughnuts completely cool, combine maple syrup and melted butter and brush on top of doughnuts. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans and sprinkle on top of doughnuts. Drizzle any leftover syrup mixture over the nut topping to help it stick to doughnut.
Yield: 12 to 14 servings.
This story was originally published October 27, 2015 at 5:00 AM with the headline "2 Georgia women place in NC State Fair cooking contest."