| AUGUST 19, 2011 -- Ladies and gentlemen, start your mixers!
When the gates of the Cannondale Grange Agricultural Fair open at 10, one aspect of the fair will already be over: the judging of the baking contests. Early fairgoers will get the first look at the winners of the adult and junior baking contests, the best two-crust apple pie contest, and the Perpetual Trophy winner for the best pecan pie in town.
The judges, who have to taste every entry, probably have the best job of the day. But the panel is a secret and Mary Offinger, who was charged with rounding up the judges, wasn’t revealing their names.
“Not until it’s over,” she said.
Mrs. Offinger, mother of fair committee member Don Offinger, was willing to review the task her judges would be charged with in deciding among the best entries in the baked goods and preserves category.
“They will check for texture, taste, and then appearance,” she said. “That means a lot, if it looks good.
“A couple of years ago on the Perpetual Trophy (contest) we had only one entry,” she recalled, “and it did not look great, but oh, man, did it taste good. I ended up giving her a blue ribbon.”
Among the categories that may be entered are: brownies, chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, bar cookies, two-crust pie and single-crust pie (with homemade crusts), decorated cake, carrot cake, coffee cake, iced devil’s food chocolate cake, decorated cupcakes, quick bread, muffins, jelly or jam, relish, pickles, honey, fudge and bread.
The grange offers its Perpetual Trophy each year. This year it will go to the best nine- or 10-inch pecan pie, with a recipe of the baker’s choosing.
There are also three categories for the state baking contests sponsored by the Association of Connecticut Fairs.
The adult baking contest centers around a “rustic cheese & rosemary bread.” Juniors, who are between 9 and 15 as of July 1, will compete with “cookies & cream brownies.”
In each of these cases, the recipe and baking instructions are provided and must be followed to the letter. Any changes or substitutions are cause for disqualification.
The final contest is a two-crust apple pie with a recipe of the baker’s choosing. In this case, the pies will be judged on a basis of 100 points: 40 points each for overall appearance and flavor, and 10 points each for crust and texture.
Winners get not only a rosette and bragging rights, but the local winners of the state baking contests will be eligible to submit their entry at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Connecticut Fairs.
Mrs. Offinger, who is 83 and has done her fair share of judging in the past, is passing the baton this year, but she is working on the baking portion of the fair with her daughter Cathy Offinger, who is coming down from Maine for the occasion, and Mary Kimberlin.
Mrs. Offinger said the contests have attracted quite a few entries in past years.
“Last year I really was amazed, we had about 94 entries,” she said. “We were so busy doing the test tasting. Usually you start at 9 and by 10 we’re all finished. But I had to ask Don to close the doors and keep the public out for another half-hour and that was amazing.”
There may not be nearly that number this year, she said, because the recipes are a bit more complicated. “I don’t know how many people will make bread,” she said, referring to the adult state baking contest. She also thought the junior brownie recipe looked a bit complicated.
“Last year we had a young boy who won the best of show,” she recalled. He was 14 and entered as an adult. It was a carrot cake and his carrot cake was so good, it was better than anything else on display.”
Anyone who wants to enter one of the baking — or other — contests may do so in advance for $1, or the day of the show for $2. Complete entry rules are in the fair book, available around town.
For those who prefer to eat rather than bake, all entries will be for sale. An auction of fruit, vegetables, flowers, and baked goods on exhibit will commence at 4:15 inside the Grange hall. |
