Pete Freedman
Here Are The Fried Foods Set To Give You a Heart Attack at the 2013 State Fair of Texas.
Last year, the State Fair of Texas bowled us over and clogged our arteries with fried takes on tres leches cake, jambalaya and macaroni and cheese. This year, the unstoppable force that is the fried food movement collides with the immovable object that is the state fair with deep-fried takes on Nutella and Thanksgiving dinner.
This morning, the folks behind the State Fair of Texas' ninth annual Big Tex Choice Awards announced the eight finalist food vendor entries now up for the awards' Best Taste and Most Creative honors.
Below you can read the verbatim, Big Tex-approved descriptions on these entries. Winners for this year's prizes will be selected during a closed session on Monday, September 2, and regular ol' Joes like you and I will get our chance to try these foods come Friday, September 27, when the Fair kicks off its annual festivities.
2013 State Fair of Texas Big Tex Choice Awards Finalists:
• Awesome Deep Fried Nutella®. Cream cheese and Nutella® are whipped and spread over flaky Phyllo dough sheets, rolled up, and deep fried. Served with a drizzle of honey and shaved almonds.
• Deep Fried Cuban Roll. A filling of slow cooked pork shoulder, chopped ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and secret sauce is spread onto a slice of Swiss cheese, rolled up in pastry dough, and deep fried. Roll is served with a side of majo sauce for dipping.
• Fernie's Deep Fried King Ranch Casserole. This stick-to-your-ribs TEXAS SHAPED creation is melted cheese, salty, spicy, goodness that is dipped in a zesty southwestern egg wash and coated in panko bread crumbs. Deep fried golden brown and crunchy on the outside; steamy and creamy on the inside! Served with a side of red, white, and blue tortilla chips and your choice of our homemade “salsafied” sour cream or cheesy queso. Each one proudly flying the flag of the Lone Star State and deep fried in the Heart of Texas!
• Fried Thanksgiving Dinner. Mama's homemade stuffing and diced roasted turkey are rolled in a ball. Next it's dipped in southern cream corn and rolled in seasoned corn meal — all fried to a crispy golden brown. Served with old fashion giblet brown gravy. The zesty orange cranberry sauce fills your dipping needs and results in a complete Thanksgiving dinner, FRIED!
• Golden Fried Millionaire Pie. Sweetened, fluffy cream cheese filling is loaded with golden pineapple and Texas pecans then wrapped in a flaky pie crust and fried to a golden brown. Topped with whipped cream, toasted coconut, and candied pecans.
• Spinach Dip Bites. Creamy and delicious spinach artichoke dip bites are coated with crispy tortilla chips and flash-fried until golden brown. Bites are served with salsa for an additional kick.
• Southern Style Chicken-Fried Meatloaf. Homemade meatloaf slices are coated in an authentic Texas chicken-fried breading and deep fried golden brown. Served with garlic mashed potatoes, Texas cream gravy, and a ketchup/brown sugar glaze for dipping.
• Texas Fried Fireball. Pimento cheese, pickles, cayenne pepper, and bacon are rolled into a ball, dipped in buttermilk, covered with a jalapeno-infused batter and deep fried. Served with chipotle ranch for dipping.
Awesome Deep Fried Nutella® cover photo via the State Fair of Texas' Facebook page.
