For many people, the best part of the fair is all the delicious food! Summer in Illinois is host to countless county fairs and, of course, the Illinois State Fair taking place in mid-August. The classics — corn dogs, funnel cakes, lemon shake-ups and saltwater taffy — can be found at almost every fair, and the state fair offers so much more. The variety of international food and drink options at the Village of Cultures never disappoints. Fifteen nationalities and two international beer booths are represented. They include Brazilian, Cajun, Filipino, French, German, Greek, Italian, Jamaican, Lithuanian, Mediterranean and Mexican cuisine. The village also offers entertainment on their free stage. I recommend trying as many of the foods as you can and catching a show from Celtic artists, Def Leprechaun. New this year is a “Small Plates, Big Tastes” promotion in which the international vendors will be selling $3 sample-sized items. What a fantastic opportunity to taste foods from all over the world.

Another great place to check out at the state fair is the Hobbies, Arts and Crafts Building. Although food isn’t served in the building, it is host to numerous culinary competitions (one sponsored by LLCC Culinary) and home to the prize-winning vegetables grown in Illinois, among other exhibits. The entries and ribbon winners are on display all throughout the fair. Plus, there are several cooking demonstrations that take place in the building. By the way, the building is air conditioned! So plan to head in, sit down and cool off while you watch cooking demonstrations from LLCC Chefs Joshua Dineen on Tuesday, Aug. 16, at 4 p.m. and me, Jolene Lamb, on Thursday, Aug. 18, at 4 p.m.  

After watching food demonstrations, enjoying a free show and tasting samples in the Village of Cultures, head over to the air-conditioned Artisan Building for an Illinois Wine Experience where fairgoers can sample award-winning wines for all taste preferences — white, red, rosé, dry, sweet and semi-sweet wines from all over Illinois. A tasting experience like this gives you the opportunity to become more familiar with the grape varieties grown here in Illinois, like Chambourcin, Chardonel, Cabernet Franc and Vignoles. LLCC is partnering with the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Alliance for a culinary demonstration on Wednesday, Aug. 17, from 4-6 p.m. Stop by the Artisan Building where I’ll be demonstrating how to choose the perfect cheeses and cured meats for a wine-friendly charcuterie board and how to dress it up with simple “flowers” made from edible ingredients.  

Hope to see you at the fair, and until then, enjoy making one of my all-time favorite fair foods — elephant ears! These crispy, cinnamon sugar fried breads beat a funnel cake in my book.

Elephant ears 

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• Oil for frying

For coating

• 2 tablespoons cinnamon 
• 6 tablespoons sugar

Step 1: Making the dough

In a pan on medium flame, heat milk, butter, salt and sugar until the butter has melted and sugar has dissolved. Then remove from heat, and transfer to a large bowl to cool. Important: let mixture cool down to 110 degrees before the next step. If the milk mixture is too hot, the yeast will die, and the dough will not puff.

Sprinkle yeast over mixture, and let it rest until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Add flour, and knead by hand to form a smooth dough.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set it aside in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Step 2: Frying the dough and coating

Heat oil in a large shallow pan on medium heat to 350 degrees.

Divide dough into 8 individual 2-inch balls. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll each ball out to a thin, 10-12 inch circle. Think thin pizza crust.

Gently drop dough disk into frying oil. Fry 2 minutes per side or until it puffs up and becomes golden brown. Transfer it to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.

In a separate small bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle it on warm, fried elephant ears.

Serve warm, and enjoy!

About

Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.

Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.