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Only in Texas: Deep Fried Butter & Deep Fried Peaches
By Laurie | September 9, 2009
I mentioned last week that I won a Texas State Fair Haiku writing contest on Twitter. The prize was a trip to Fair Park in Dallas to attend the 5th Annual Big Tex Choice Awards on Labor Day, where fair concessionaires duke it out for “Most Creative” and “Best Tasting” prizes. As a huge fan of everything State Fair of Texas, I was excited to be there.
I watched (and Tweeted with @StateFairOfTX) as the three judges tasted and scored the 8 finalists for 2009: Deep Fried Butter, Fried Texas Pecan Pie, Country Fried Pork Chips, Sweet Jalapeno Corn Dog Shrimp, Twisted Yam on a Stick, Fried Peanut Butter Cup Macaroon, Deep Fried Peaches & Cream, and Green Goblins.
The coveted awards, that come with bragging rights and increased fair sales, look like this:
In the end, Fernie’s Deep Fried Peaches & Cream won the award for Best Tasting– and was considered quite the upset. The creater, Christi Erpillo, has entered every year of the contest’s five years, but this was her first win. The win couldn’t have been more sweet, as her 83-year old mother (Wanda Fern Winters) looked on, tears in eyes. Winter was credited with being the first to introduce funnel cakes to the fair in 1980.
I have to admit that after reading the descriptions of all the finalists, fried peaches didn’t sound like the most appealing of the entries despite the fact that I love peaches. I watched the judge’s reactions to the dish, and I was pretty confident they were all really enjoying it. I went over and asked “Fernie” if she was excited, and I told her I think this is going to be her family’s year based on the judges reactions. After I heard their story, I was definitely routing for them. And guess what? It was the best tasting thing I sampled. For me, the whipped cream and raspberry drizzle really pulled it together. The peaches were fresh and cooked to perfection. I cannot wait until we go back to the fair in October so that I can visit their booth and try it again. One of the judges said it was so pretty and good that he wanted to kiss it. Apparently it was so delicious, I had a dream about it last night!
The “Most Creative” award went to none other than Abel Gonzalez Jr. who won for his Deep Fried Butter. He has taken an award four of the five years of the competition. Of the 8 finalists, this is the only one we did not sample. It actually didn’t sound good to me at all, but I was correct about my guess that it was akin to a donut. He described them as somewhat roll or croissant-like and filled with butter (and infused with garlic, grape or cherry flavoring). I was actually not too disappointed we missed out, and there is always another chance if we’re feeling adventurous at the fair.
Of the rest of the foods, I was most excited about the Fried Pecan Pie. After tasting it, I decided some things may be better in their original form rather than fried even though it was good. The Fried Green Goblins were sadly disappointing too, though the crispy outside and queso was yummy. We felt it had a very strong vinegar taste, and there was hardly any chicken in it. While corn dogs are my favorite fair food (Flechers, please!), the Sweet Jalapeno Corn Dog Shrimp was also a let down despite the fact that it smelled really good. The shrimp inside were not seasoned, and sadly it was kind of bland. The Country Fried Pork Chips and condiments were cold by the time I tried them, as was the Twisted Yam on a Stick. I think they both would have been a lot better hot, and I would definitely give them both another try if sharing them at the fair.
Finally we tried the Fried Peanut Butter Macaroon, which was Dave’s most anticipated item. He loved it, gave it his seal of approval, and actually had a second serving since @StateFairOfTX was so generous and gave up his sample. I took a little bite too, and it was actually my second favorite thing of the morning next to the Fried Peaches. I am a big macaroon fan, and the chocolate and peanut butter were a nice mix. I also met the family who created it, and one of the sons told me that his mom has her entries for the competition planned for the next five years!
We had a lot of fun, and appreciate the hospitality that we were shown. I was presented with an autographed book, The Great State Fair of Texas: An Illustrated History, written by Nancy Wiley. It is such a beautiful book, and I am loving reading and learning more about the fair. Jason, who mans the Twitter account and works in the PR office, also gave me a lot of fun facts and history. I am jealous of his job. He is so lucky to work in such a fun environment, and with such talented and passionate people. He also gave us little Big Tex bobble heads- too cute!
I cannot wait until later in the month when the fair opens for real. I am really in the spirit now. We probably won’t make it until the second week in October, but we have plans to ride the new DART train right to the gate this year. It was so strange to be at the fair grounds before Big Tex, but I know he will be standing tall and proud in just a few weeks.
Is anyone else going to the fair? If you’re not in Texas, do you have a State Fair too? What are your favorite fair foods? Would you try Deep Fried Butter? Share your stories and comments with me!
Topics: Daily Ramble, Holidays | 5 Comments »
Oh my goodness! I would think I’d died and gone to heaven to be a judge. That looks yummy. Way to go on your win and your fun visit.
Posted by: KarenWe have a state fair and county fairs in Florida. I love fried oreos. That was a long time ago. This isn’t the same as at a fair, but fried pickles are so yummy too.
Posted by: ConnieFogglesI’d been hearing about the fried butter, hmmm, that sounds like a heart attack at first bite!! LOL
Posted by: LynneI do think the fried peaches look pretty good and I’d have to give that a try! I’m going to check on taking DART, that would be so much easier!
That looks like so much fun.
And Dave looks so skinny! What’s his trick?
Posted by: corrinThe highly anticipated State Fair Food Locator is finally available! Woot!
http://www.bigtex.com/foodlocator/
Thanks so much for your awesome review. I feel validated by Dave’s thumbs-up for the peanut butter macaroon.
In addition to the macaroon, I’m interested in the Potato Tornado (or the Twisted Yam). I also fully intend to have TWO Fletcher’s Corny Dogs. (Ssh.)
Posted by: Amy