State Fair winning recipes from 2019 conclude today with piña colada sweet bread and gingery dessert bar.

Lora Pelzek of Hales Corners took first in the Tropical-Inspired Quick Bread category at the Wisconsin State Fair with this bread patterned after a popular cocktail. If you love coconut, this one has it three ways — cream of coconut, shredded and toasted — plus plenty of pineapple.

Piña Colada Bread

Recipe tested by Nancy Stohs

Makes 2 loaves

3 cups flour

½ cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

3 large eggs, slightly beaten

½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple (undrained)

1 can (15 ounces) cream of coconut (divided)

2 tablespoons Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon rum (optional)

Topping:

Remaining cream of coconut

½ cup sweetened shredded coconut

½ cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted (see note)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two loaf pans with vegetable oil spray.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

In a medium bowl, combine eggs, melted butter, pineapple and its juice, 2/3 cup cream of coconut, the Greek yogurt and, if desired, the rum. Stir until blended.

Divide batter evenly between pans and bake in preheated oven 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Cool loaves in pans 10 minutes. Remove loaves from pans and let cool thoroughly on wire rack.

When loaves are cool, make topping: Combine remaining cream of coconut with the untoasted coconut and spread over loaves. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.

Note: To toast coconut, spread coconut evenly on a baking sheet. Bake in 350-degree oven (you could do this after taking the loaves out of the oven) 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown, stirring a few times during baking.

Linda S. Gottlieb of Port Washington took first with this gingery dessert bar in the Ginger category, under the Culinary Challenge division asking entrants to explore various spices.

Ginger Dessert Crinkle Bar

Recipe tested by Nancy Stohs

Makes 20 to 24

Crust:

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter, room temperature

1 egg

¼ cup molasses

2 cups flour (spooned in and leveled off)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Topping:

4 medium eggs (or 3 large)

1 ½ cups sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2/3 cup lemon juice (see note)

2 teaspoons finely minced crystallized ginger pieces

Garnish:

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13-by-9-inch pan.

Make crust: In a food processor fitted with metal blade, combine all crust ingredients. Process or beat at medium speed until well blended. Alternatively, cream butter and brown sugar in a large bowl by hand or with a mixer; blend in the egg and then the molasses. Gradually mix in dry ingredients. Spread or press into greased pan. Bake in preheated oven 17 to 20 minutes or until the crust is set. Leave oven on.

Make topping: In a small bowl, beat eggs at medium speed until thick, foamy and lemon-colored, about 5 minutes. Gradually add remaining topping ingredients; blend well. Carefully pour over partially baked crust.Sprinkle minced ginger evenly over the meringue. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until center is set.

Let cool completely.

Garnish: In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar with cinnamon and ginger. Dust over the top.

Refrigerate for easier cutting, and cut into bars.

Notes: If filling is too gooey for your liking after baking, try reducing the amount of lemon juice by a tablespoon or two.

When cutting, the tops of the bars may “crinkle,” as the topping forms a meringue.

MichalRiege of Cedarburg won the cheese ball category of the Wisconsin State Fair’s culinary competitions with this appetizer ball featuring three kinds of cheese plus fresh herbs, almonds, lemon zest and black sesame seeds.

Herb and Seed Cheese Ball

Recipe tested by Joanne Kempinger Demski

Makes 4 to 6 appetizer servings

8 ounces neufchatel cheese (or other low-fat cream cheese), room temperature

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/3 cup shredded Renard’s Terrific Trio Cheese (see note)

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1/8 cup sliced almonds, chopped

¼ teaspoon grated lemon zest

3 tablespoons black sesame seeds (available at spice markets)

Hearty crackers

Place cheeses in a food processor and pulse until combined. Form into a ball and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Place herbs, almonds, zest and seeds on a plate. Roll cheese ball in the herb mixture. Return to refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve with hearty crackers.

Note: Renard’s Terrific Trio Cheese is available at some Sendik’s markets. This cheese comes as a chunk, and is a blend of cheddar, Parmesan and Gouda cheeses. It is not available already shredded.

Cindy Paul of Menomonee Falls won the tomato basil soup category with this chunky version, with pine nuts, truffle oil and mushroom salt.

Chunky Tomato Basil Soup

Recipe tested by Joanne Kempinger Demski

Makes 1 quart or about 4 servings

1 cup packed fresh sweet basil leaves

1 clove garlic

3 tablespoons pine nuts

3 tablespoons white truffle olive oil (available at specialty food stores)

½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Porcini mushroom salt to taste (available at spice stores)

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1 ½ pounds fresh Roma tomatoes, chopped into large chunks

3 large shallots, chopped into large chunks

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chicken stock

1 can (14 ounces) whole tomatoes

1 tablespoon sugar

½ cup half-and-half cream

2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons tomato paste

7 ½ ounces (about ½ of a 14.5-ounce can) fire-roasted crushed tomatoes

½ cup freshly grated Grana Padano cheese

2 tablespoons packed fresh minette basil leaves, minced

Basil sprigs for garnish (optional)

Make pesto: Blend the 1 cup basil, the garlic and pine nuts in a food processor. Pour truffle oil in slowly while still mixing. Scrape down sides, then add lemon juice and porcini salt and pepper to taste. Pulse until everything is blended together and relatively smooth.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare soup: Set fresh tomatoes and shallots on a baking pan and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle with porcini mushroom salt and roast in preheated oven 30 to 40 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking. Tomatoes are done when they are very soft and skins are starting to turn black.

In a pot combine chicken stock, the can of whole tomatoes, sugar, the reserved roasted tomatoes and shallots, the reserved basil pesto, the half-and-half, thyme and tomato paste. Season with porcini mushroom salt and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes and then blend with an immersion blender until smooth.

Add fire-roasted tomatoes, Grana Padano cheese and the minette basil. Simmer an additional 15 minutes. Garnish servings with a basil sprig, if desired.

Cindy Paul of Menomonee Falls took first place in the cheesy potato innovation category at the Wisconsin State Fair for this cheesy potato casserole.

The contest said to “stuff as much Wisconsin as you could in it,” Paul said, and she did.

“It’s kind of a play on funeral potatoes,” she continued. “In funeral potatoes, you use cream of chicken soup; well, I didn’t want to use a can of anything, so I made my own. Usually you put cornflakes on top; I don’t like cornflakes, so I used Corn Chex instead.

“And I added extra cheese. It was very Wisconsin. Patrick Cudahy makes a really, really good ham. And apples are very Wisconsin. The peas came from the garden.”

Paul also grows the dwarf basil that she uses in the casserole.

“I like it better than sweet basil,” she said. “The leaves are much smaller.”

She had her best year ever at State Fair, she said, placing in 16 of the 27 categories she entered. She got a judges’ favorite designation for these potatoes, and she won her first ever Best of Division — for her chunky tomato basil soup (look for that recipe next week in Food).

Wisconsin Cheesy Potatoes

Recipe tested by Nancy Stohs

Makes 6 to 8 servings

3 tablespoons butter (she uses unsalted)

3 tablespoons flour

½ cup chicken stock

½ cup milk

Porcini mushroom salt to taste (available at Spice House or online)

3 medium gold potatoes, peeled and cubed

½ cup peas

Kernels from 1 ear corn-on-the-cob

1 Honeycrisp apple, peeled and cubed

½ cup cooked diced ham

1 tablespoon minced fresh minette (dwarf) basil (or regular basil)

½ cup shredded apple smoked provolone cheese

½ cup shredded cheddar Gruyere cheese (alpine-style cheddar)

1 cup sour cream

1 cup crushed Corn Chex cereal (coarsely crush by hand)

½ cup shredded smoked hickory cheddar cheese

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add flour and whisk to make a roux. Add chicken stock and milk and whisk until smooth. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking and whisking until mixture thickens, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add porcini salt to water in a pot or bottom of a double boiler. Steam potatoes, peas and corn together in a steamer basket or top of double boiler about 10 minutes, until potatoes are al dente.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

When potatoes are ready, transfer with vegetables to a large bowl and add apple, ham, basil, provolone and Gruyere cheeses and sour cream. Add white sauce, sprinkle with porcini salt to taste and mix all together. Transfer to a 9-by-9-inch or 11-by-7-inch casserole dish.

Mix crushed cereal with the hickory cheese and sprinkle over top of casserole. Bake uncovered in preheated oven 35 minutes.

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In this shortcake recipe, berries are in the shortcake batter as well as the topping. The recipe took first in the berry & shortcake category for Cindy Chamberlain of Franklin. The recipe was her grandmother’s.

Berry Citrus Shortcake

Recipe tested by Nancy Stohs

Makes 8 servings

Shortcake:

1 1/3 cups flour

½ cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

2/3 cup buttermilk

¼ cup (½ stick) butter, melted

1 egg

1 teaspoon orange juice

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup thinly sliced fresh strawberries

Topping:

1 package (16 ounces) frozen strawberries in sugar, thawed

½ cup sugar

½ cup water

3 tablespoons cornstarch

Whipped cream:

2 cups whipping cream

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons orange juice

Make shortcake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch-round baking pan; cover bottom with parchment paper and grease the paper.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk buttermilk, melted butter, egg, orange juice, orange peel and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients until just moistened. Fold in the sliced strawberries. Transfer to prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack. Peel off parchment, invert again and let cool completely.

Make topping: Drain juice off thawed frozen strawberries and place liquid in a small saucepan. Place berries in a small bowl. Add sugar, water and cornstarch to juice in saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened. Add strawberries and mix well. Refrigerate until cool.

Make whipped cream: In another bowl, beat cream, powdered sugar and orange juice until stiff peaks form.

To serve: Spread cooled strawberry sauce over top of cake. Then top with whipped cream (you may not use it all) and cut into wedges to serve.

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State Fair is over, and the winners of the culinary contests have taken their ribbons home. But at least some of their recipes can live on in your home. Fair officials shared a few of the judges’ favorites from this year’s competitions, judged before and during the fair.

First up is this creative peanut butter sandwich cookie, which won the juvenile division of the King Arthur Flour baking contest, which this year asked for a “peanut butter cookie innovation.” It also won Best of Division for all of the contests judged that day.

“Great flavor!” the judges wrote. “Very moist, soft and fluffy. Interesting, creative filling.”

Landon Scray, 12, of Pewaukee came up with the recipe with help from his grandmother, Lois Trongard.

Sweet Banana Peanut Butter Cookies

Recipe tested by Nancy Stohs

Makes 12 sandwich cookies

Banana filling:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

1 ½ tablespoons golden brown sugar

½ tablespoon granulated sugar

1 tablespoon rum (or rum flavoring to taste)

Pinch of ground cinnamon

2 bananas, sliced

½ cup cream cheese

½ cup smooth peanut butter

Peanut butter cookies:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)

1 ½ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

Prepare banana filling: In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add sugars and increase heat to medium-high, stirring until melted and bubbling. Carefully add rum (watch out for flames). Add cinnamon. Stir in bananas to coat.

In a bowl, cream together cream cheese and peanut butter until smooth. With a fork, mash bananas and add to cream cheese mixture until smooth. Refrigerate.

While filling cools, make cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in peanut butter.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to peanut butter mixture and blend in.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet and crisscross them with a floured fork. Bake in preheated oven about 9 to 11 minutes or until cookies just start to turn brown around the edges. Remove from heat and let cool on a wire cooling rack.

When cookies are cool, spread banana filling between the flat (bottom) sides of two cookies to make sandwich cookies. Repeat with remaining cookies.

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This recipe was also submitted in a children’s contest. Katelyn Pelzek, 16, Hales Corners won the Kid-Inspired Fruit Lemonade category with this blueberry-lemon concoction.

Purple Lemonade

Recipe tested by Nancy Stohs

Makes 2 ½ quarts

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

2 ¼ cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 8 to 10 lemons)

1 cup blueberry pulp (mashed from 2 cups whole berries)

Fresh mint and whole blueberries for garnish (optional)

In a saucepan, heat sugar and water to a boil, stirring frequently to keep mixture clear. When sugar has completely dissolved, remove from heat and add lemon juice. Let cool.

When cooled, add the blueberry pulp and whisk until mixed. Serve over ice (can strain out blueberry pulp). Garnish with mint and blueberries, if desired.