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Blue Ribbon Winning Favorites

 

Cyndi's Blue Ribbon Winning Favorites:

This recipe came about when the winner Elyce won for a creamy pudding and ended up "putting" it on a stick for a fun TV appearance!

Elyce Zahn - Ghirardelli Chocolate Championship - California State Fair
State Fair Chocolate Pudding Pops (On a Stick)
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoon Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 6 ounces Ghirardelli 70% Cacao Extra Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar
  • 2 teaspoons Kahlua (or coffee liqueur)

Whisk together milk, sugar, salt and Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa powder in a large saucepan. Heat to simmering. Remove from heat. Whisk half of hot cream mixture into a bowl with eggs yolks until smooth; then whisk it back into the remaining cream mixture. Soften the Ghirardelli baking bar in the microwave and add to the cream mixture. Heat pudding mixture until it just starts to boil and thicken, remove from heat and stir in Kahlua. Pour through a sieve (to remove egg particles); set aside. Once cooled, pour or spoon into preferred molds, add tops or sticks and freeze until solid, about 4 hours.

Beth's Blue Ribbon Winning Favorites:

This recipe came from a first-time baking competitior from the San Diego County Fair!

Cheri Chandler - Bake for the Cure Contest - San Diego County Fair
Whole Grain Green Pockets
  • 2 eggs, divided
  • 1/2 cup water, room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 1 cup wheat flour
  • 3/4 cup bread flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise Yeast
  • 2 pounds greens, washed with tough stems removed
    • (Kale, Chard, Spinach)
  • 4 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 (10 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
  • Garnish with cheese & tomato sauce, optional

Beat together 1 egg and 1/2 cup room temperature water. Add to bread machine. Add olive oil, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add both flours and then Fleischmann’s yeast. Set bread machine to “dough” setting for a 1.5 pound loaf.

While machine is making dough, prepare the greens. Bring about a quart of water to a boil in a 4 to 5 quart pot. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt to boiling water and then add greens, a handful at a time, until they have all wilted down into the boiling water. Adjust heat if necessary to tame the boil and cook until greens are tender but still have bite, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the greens well.

When the greens are cool enough to handle, squeeze out the excess liquid and chop finely. Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, cumin, pepper and garlic into a chunky paste. Put this past into a large pot or skillet and add enough olive oil to coat the pan. Turn heat to medium and listen for garlic to sizzle, cook for 30 seconds. Stir in greens and can of tomatoes. Lower the heat, cook and stir for about 5 minutes, until greens are tender and coated evenly.

When the bread machine is done, turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 8 pieces (or however you like), shape into balls and rest under a towel for 15 minutes. Roll the balls into 4 inch circles.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (350 degrees for convection oven). Beat the second egg in a small bowl. Stir half of the beaten egg into the greens. Spoon a dollop of greens (about 1 tablespoon) onto half of a circle of dough. Then fold the empty half of dough over the filled half and pinch the edges together to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough circles. Brush the pockets with the remaining beaten egg and bake for 20 minutes (15 minutes in convection oven) until golden brown. Optional: serve with cheese and tomato sauce.

Yields: 8 pockets