Chocolate and beets are a natural pair. The earthiness of the beets contrasts with the richness and sweetness of chocolate. The milk chocolate frosting on this cake is laced with orange zest—orange tastes great with both chocolate and beets.
canola oil
Milk-Braised Chicken Legs with Spiced Rice
Milk may not seem a likely braising liquid, but it works beautifully, tenderizing the meat and combining with the chicken juices and spices to create the sauce. You can brown the meat in advance, assemble the braise and refrigerate it, then pop it into the oven just before you want to eat; in under an hour you’ll have a comforting main course that’s perfect for a snowy evening.
Pulled Pork Sliders
There are not a lot of fair foods that can actually work for a family dinner, but these pulled pork sliders are can. They’re made in a slow cooker, so there’s a built-in ease. Anyone can make these.
Carol Fenster’s Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Carrot cake belongs on every Easter buffet dessert table. And these sweet cupcakes are something EVERYONE can eat.
Raghavan Iyer’s Ultimate French Fries
What makes these French fries Ultimate? The proper technique of cutting the potatoes into the right width, the double frying method (the second frying after being dusted with a secret ingredient), and the perfect temperatures during both the frying stages deliver the crispy-on-the outside and tender-on-the-inside fry. There’s also a crazy-good black bean dip that’ll have you wondering why you ever went for that sugary ketchup.
Black Bean-Queso Dip for Raghavan Iyer’s Ultimate French Fries
Raghavan Iyer folds black beans and tomatoes into his queso fundido for a deeper contrast not only of texture, but of color as well. He serves the addictive dip with his Ultimate French Fries.
