Top 10 New Foods at the 2011 State Fairs

It’s America’s favorite meal — the state fair! Every year, the fairs across this great land compete with each other to invent bigger, badder, greasier fair food. But after Texas stepped up its game last year with deep fried beer, this thing hit a whole ‘nother level. The 2011 state and country fair foods have been more insane — and more amazing — than ever. Here are our top 10 favorite finds.

10. Chocolate Covered Corn Dog – Orange County Fair

Could there be anything more American than dipping a hot dog in batter, deep frying it and eating it off a stick? Why yes, there could be. You could cover it in chocolate and put sprinkles on top, a treat that was found at both the OC Fair and neighboring San Diego County Fair. My Burning Kitchen has more on food at the San Diego fair. (Photo: www.myburningkitchen.com)

9. Deep Fried Kool-Aid – San Diego County Fair

In another strong showing for California’s other great fair — and originator of last year’s hash brown covered hot dog, San Diego debuts what is surely the trashiest food ever conceptualized. It’s just unclear why they didn’t wrap it in bacon. (Photo: Cuttlefish)

8. Deep Fried Butter on a Stick – Iowa State Fair

Texas may have invented deep fried butter at their own fair a few years back, but Iowa thought to put it on a stick. See, America, we can do great things when we work together. Yes, this involves frying an entire stick of butter, and yes, you simply have to watch the video for full effect.

7. Buffalo Chicken in a Flapjack – Texas State Fair

The first of several entries from the Lone Star state, this monstrosity is a chicken strip, coated in pancake batter and jalapeño bread crumbs, then deep fried and…you guessed it — eaten on a stick. (Photo: State Fair of Texas)

6. Red Velvet Funnel Cake – Florida State Fair

Funnel cake has fallen behind on the list of outrageous fair foods recently. After fried beer and fried Coke, plain old fried dough starts to look pale by comparison. But this year we saw funnel cake get a new southern fried twist that injects some new life into it…and probably injects all kinds of chemicals too. Why eat fried dough when you can eat red fried dough? (Photo: Bob B. Brown)

 Next: The Top 5 state fair foods

 

Deviled Eggs Gone Wild

Remember when deviled eggs were simple, mayo-soaked apps your aunt used to make for family picnics? Not anymore. Inventive restaurant chefs and food bloggers around the country have taken good old deviled eggs to a whole new level. Here are our top 10 favorite new-school deviled eggs.

10. Decadent Deviled Eggs

There’s no rule that deviled eggs have to be hard boiled. Wait, is there? Regardless, chef Thomas Dunklin of B&O American Brasserie in Baltimore doesn’t abide by it, soft boiling his eggs and deviling them Maryland style, with crab. Read his recipe for decadent deviled eggs with crab salad and mustard aioli here.

9. Kimchi and Bacon Deviled Eggs

Blogger Momofukufor2 whips up these deviled eggs filled with the ingredient of the moment — kimchi — and the ingredient of every moment — bacon. Hungry? Read the kimchi and bacon deviled eggs recipe here.

8. Lobster Deviled Eggs

Founding Farmers restaurant in Washington, D.C. takes the yolk out of their deviled egg completely (again — is this allowed?) We’re gonna say yes, because they refill it with a mound of poached lobster meat. It’s one of four creative deviled eggs served at Founding Farmers — read the recipes for all four here.

7. Dessert Deviled Eggs

Still have leftover Easter candy? Cakespy uses them up in the most delicious looking deviled eggs we’ve seen yet: Cadbury’s creme eggs filled with vanilla buttercream.

6. Smoky Deviled Eggs

Sundried tomatoes and paprika lend a more exciting color palette to A Couple Cooks’ smoky deviled eggs, garnished with crispy shallots. Recipe here.

Next: Top 5 Deviled Eggs Gone Wild

Ancho Chile Onion Ring Quesadilla

I think it has become apparent that I’m not one for following Michelle Obama’s healthy eating campaign. Considering that my recent creations have included nacho-stuffed potato skins and mac ‘n’ cheese in a grilled cheese, some might argue I’m actually a secret Palin operative. I’m not, I promise you. I just like to fry things.

My better half is a meat and potatoes kinda guy — no greens, no fruit and no vegetables. So once in a while I like to try cooking something that I know he’ll enjoy. In this case I combined his love of Mexican food with our combined love of fried food. I present to you the Ancho Chile Onion Ring Quesadilla.

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Thursday 3: Things You Didn’t Know You Can Fry

As veterans of several state fairs, at Endless Simmer we know there’s just about no food that can’t stand for a little frying.

1. Cottage Cheese

Yes, it’s good. Yes, it’s better battered and fried.

2. Flowers

These pretty zucchini blossoms will be showing up at the far mar before you know it. You know what to do.

3. Avocado

Fine, maybe this one didn’t work out so well, but you know we’ll be trying again.

America’s Best Drunk College Food

It’s that very special time of year when all of America’s college students put aside their textbooks to focus on a more pressing pursuit: who is best at putting a ball through a hoop. But at Endless Simmer we’re more interested in what they’re doing after the game. So instead of spending all week filling out some silly brackets, we decided to rank all 68 NCAA tournament teams by what really is the best part of college: the greasy, cheesy, meaty, ridiculously over-the-top local foods that you would ever only consider eating if you were in college, celebrating a win, and…well, drunk as hell.

68. Virginia Commonwealth University: Senior Bobble

A quesadilla kicked up a good few notches, with ground beef, peppers and crushed tortilla chips inside.

BoDillaz; Richmond, Virginia (Photo: BoDillaz)

67. Kentucky: MegaHo Burger

This triple-decker burger can come complete with gravy, cheese, jalapenos, mushrooms, bacon, tomato, pickle and lettuce — don’t forget the cheese-filled tater tots on the side. Only ranked so low because we have not confirmed that you can eat this and still walk out the door alive.

Tolly-Ho; Lexington, Kentucky (Photo: Tolly-Ho)

66. UC-Santa Barbara: BBQ Sauce Nachos

It’s unclear why so few other establishments have thought to combine juicy chicken or carne asads nachos with sticky BBQ sauce.

Freebirds World Burrito; Isla Vista, California (Photo: Tuan T)

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March Food Madness: All 68 NCAA Tournament Teams Ranked by Their Best Drunk College Food: Part 2

Read Part 1 of the List

35. Notre Dame: Four Horsemen Basket

Ribs, chicken strips, mozzarella sticks, Parmesan shrimp and breadsticks. Perhaps designed to be eaten by a group, but on many occasion consumed by a single drunken Irish fan. Between the Buns; South Bend, Indiana (Photo: BtB)

34. Marquette: Chili Cheese Atomic Dog

Spicy Vienna beef Polish hot dog fried crispy and topped with onions, tomato wedges, chili and cheese.

Dogg Haus; Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Photo: Dogg Haus)

33. Texas A&M: Spicy Bacon Chicken Baked Potato

Thought a baked potato was only a vessel for sour cream and cheese? Think again. This one has BBQ chicken, bacon, butter, sour cream and cheese.

Potato Shack; College Station, Texas (Photo: DerekSteen)

32. Florida State: Wake ‘n’ Bake Dog

Too late for dinner, too early for breakfast? Try a hot dog wrapped in bacon on a fried egg with cheese.

VooDoo Dog; Tallahassee, Florida (Photo: VooDoo Dog)

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Feed Us Back: Comments of the Week

dan adds to our list of the top 10 food tattos:

you forgot about Gucci Mane’s sick face tattoo of ice cream shooting lightning bolts

BURR! http://www.rap-up.com/2011/01/13/gucci-mane-scoops-ice-cream-tattoo/

And Alison Murray expands the top 10 australian foods:

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