The State Fair of Texas has named ten finalists for the Big Tex Choice Awards. The finalists include five in the "Savory" category and five for "Sweet." Each entry will compete in its group for "Best Tasting" and an overall award for "Most Creative":
SAVORY
Crispy Crazy Corn, Ruth Hauntz
Sweet whole kernel corn is individually battered, fried, and dashed with our secret seasoning. These crispy little gold nuggets alone make a great snack, but the heat turns up a notch when we add slowed-smoked pulled pork, topped with a tangy pineapple slaw, kissed with a drizzle of freshly made jalapeño crema and a generous sprinkle of fresh cilantro. It’s a crunchy, sweet, savory, tangy flavor party that’s crazy good.
Deep Fried I-35, Clint and Gretchen Probst
Our Deep Fried I-35 is a deep-fried Texas road trip on a plate! We start out in Parker County, Texas, which is famous for its peaches. Next, we move down I-35 to West, Texas, where we stop and pick up a dozen of our favorite kolaches. We can never decide which type of kolaches we like more – sweet or savory – always such a dilemma. The only solution? Sweet AND Savory.
Next, we head south to Waco, Texas...famous for, you guessed it, Dr Pepper®. After a few hours of driving and a few hours of snacking on I-35 treats, we finally arrive in Austin, Texas, home of some of the best smoked brisket in the world. We combine these ingredients into a sweet and savory decadent tribute to the Texas road trip...the Deep Fried I-35!
First, we fry up our kolache dough, leaving a divot in the center for our filling. We top our fried kolache with smoked beef brisket. Our peach juice combines with the Dr Pepper® to make a sweet and tangy BBQ glaze which we drizzle over our brisket kolache. We garnish this roadworthy concoction with peach slices and a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Voila, y'all!
Deep Fried Seafood Gumbo Balls, Gourmet Royale
Using a family recipe that has been handed down four generations, the base is a dark, rich, and savory roux that represents the true essence of New Orleans. The balls are then loaded with Gulf Coast shrimp, stewed chicken, blue crab meat, and andouille sausage. The balls are then rolled in our saltine cracker and breadcrumb batter, then fried, creating an explosion of flavor. The balls are served with a side of dark gumbo roux sauce for your dipping pleasure and topped with chicken fried okra spears. The dish will be served with a small bottle of hot sauce and a package of saltine crackers.
Lucky Duck Dumplin’, BertConcessions
A delectable pastry filled with a delicious combination of rich, fluffy cream cheese, blended with succulent duck bacon and delicately roasted sweet corn, with a sprinkling of herbs and spices. These delicately filled dumplings are dropped into the deep fryer until golden-brown and fried to crispy perfection! Both crunchy on the outside and satisfyingly creamy on the inside, with a pleasing balance of salty and sweet that is sure to tickle the taste buds.
Three Lucky Duck Dumplin's are served alongside a sweet and gently spicy Thai chili glaze for dipping, finished with a sprinkling of fresh basil and nestled in a small hand-held tray, making it the perfect indulgent snack while enjoying the State Fair of Texas!
Pork Shots, Glen Kusak and Sherri Kusak at Hans Mueller
This new Fair favorite starts with Texas best smoked sausage at the base of this shot. We wrap the sausage with delicious hickory smoked bacon which forms a tiny bowl, and this savory tastebud-teaser is filled with everyone’s favorite – creamy mac and cheese. We sprinkle the outside with a secret sweet, spicy BBQ rub to finalize this perfect Fair-food-to-share item. Talk about a party in your mouth!
SWEET
The Armadillo, James Barrera
Y'all will want to go home with the Armadillo Cookie Butter Ice Cream Sandwich! It is a made-from-scratch cookie butter semifreddo – an Italian take on ice cream that means semi-frozen. The treat is drizzled with cookie butter and sandwiched between two deep-fried Armadillo-shaped cookies that are made with a branding iron. Finally, it is dusted with buttery sugar. Absolutely a velvety cream delight!
Brisket Brittle, Ruth Hauntz
This confectionary delight has the rich, buttery, crunchy, sweet deliciousness of an old-fashion peanut brittle. We have, however, replaced the peanuts with the smokey goodness of Texas brisket. This addictively sweet yet savory treat finishes with a satisfying hint of heat.
Deep-Fried Halloween, Isaac Rousso
Our trick-or-treat experience starts with a delicious large chewy pretzel that is dropped in the fryer. As it becomes golden brown, we quickly bathe it in candy corn syrup, followed by some rainbow sprinkles and powdered sugar. Now the fun begins – piping in orange and white buttercream icing, then stacking some of our most favorite Halloween candies, like M&M’s®, Reese Pieces, Mini-Twix®, Oreo cookie crumbles, and candy corn just to name a few. Topped with a delicious marshmallow whip cream and a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup as the crown, we put the final touches of Hershey’s chocolate syrup caramel sauce and candy corn drizzle on this beautiful desert.
Fernie’sFried Toffee Coffee Crunch Cake, Winter Family Concessions
This smartly paired, time-tested duo is a harmonious treat for your tastebuds! We start with lightly glazed, old-fashioned cake donuts and break them into chunks, highlighting their firm, slightly crunchy exterior, and soft cakelike interior. Next, we add a generous scoop of buttery baking morsels flavored with rich English toffee and crunchy almonds and the mixture is blended with a velvety custard.
The donut’s cracked, craggy surface absorbs the creamy custard, creating a bread pudding-like consistency which is set in a ring mold.
The cakes are dipped in an egg product and covered in panko and vanilla cookie crumbs, then quickly fried to a golden brown with a crunchy exterior and a gooey butter cake center!
Alternatively, you might also get bites of little rivers or crunchy nuggets of toffee. It is served on a plate with a light dusting of powdered sugar and sprinkled with more toffee bits and a dollop of trendy, frothy mocha coffee whipped cream. Regular whipped cream is available for non-coffee drinkers (but we encourage you to try the mocha cream - everyone knows donuts go with coffee!). It is topped off with a miniature chocolate-covered toffee bar to fancy it up!
Texas Pumpkin Poke Cake, Michelle Edwards
Your fall favorite with Texas flair! A Texas-shaped, decadent pumpkin cake with a finger-licking, gooey vanilla glaze, silky caramel, topped with fluffy whipped cream, and lightly sprinkled with secret spice.
"I came up with the name on an I-35 road trip," says Clint Probst, developer of Deep Fried I-35. Probst has been a finalist seven times and won twice.
"We've taken a really delicious chewy pretzel and taken all your favorite Halloween candies and piled them on top," says Isaac Rousso, developer of Deep-Fried Halloween.
This year, the State Fair of Texas says it received a total of 43 entries from 26 concessionaires. Of the ten finalists, four use the word, "fried," in their title, but the State Fair of Texas says seven of the ten finalists fried at least a portion of their entry.
James Barrera was nominated for, "The Armadillo." The State Fair of Texas says this is the first time an ice cream sandwich has been nominated. The Armadillo is shaped like the animal, and Barrera then had an iron made so he could brand each sandwich with an armadillo logo.
"It's a nine-band armadillo," he says. "It's actually designated the official state small mammal of Texas."
Texas Parks & Wildlife says the nine-banded armadillo is the only species that is found in North America.
But Michelle Edwards, developer of the Texas Pumpkin Poke Cake, says she had her own piece of equipment made for the fair. Each piece is shaped like Texas.
"I'll continue using it. It's the shape of Texas. You can use it for anything," she says.
In June, Wanda "Fernie" Winter died. She was the matriarch of Fernie's Funnel Cakes. Her family did advance to the finals in the Sweet category with "Fernie's Fried Toffee Coffee Crunch Cake.
"This year, we intend to celebrate Mom pretty much every day at the fair. She loved the fair," says Winter's daughter, Christi Erpillo. "When she wasn't feeling well, and we hadn't heard her talk for a couple days, my little sister and I were talking about the Big Tex Choice Awards. All of a sudden, she just looked up and said, 'Did we make it in?' We didn't know at that time if we did or not. You know what? I did say, when I got the phone call, 'Mom, we made it in.'"
Winners in each category will be announced August 29.
The State Fair of Texas opens on September 24. Organizers say they will follow any public health guidelines in place at the time.
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