Cherry Wine Delight
Second Place Winner - 2013 Missouri State Fair (Just Desserts Contest)
Danielle Walk, Sedalia, Missouri

Cake:

1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 (2-layer size) white cake mix
1 (3-ounce) package cherry gelatin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup cherry wine
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup cherry preserves

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1/4 cup cherry wine

Icing:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9-inch cake pan. Place pecans in bottom of pan.  Combine dry cake mix, dry gelatin, oil, cherry wine, eggs and cherry preserves in large mixer bowl; beat with electric mixer until well mixed, about 2 minutes. Gently pour batter into pan over pecans.  Bake in 350-degree oven 50 minutes, or until cake tests done.

While cake is baking, prepare glaze. Combine powdered sugar, melted butter and cherry wine in large bowl; stir until well mixed.

When cake is done, remove from oven but leave in pan. Poke holes in cake with a wooden pick.  Drizzle half of the glaze over cake, letting glaze soak into holes. Leave cake in pan for 30 minutes, then remove cake from pan and transfer to serving plate to cool completely.

While cake is cooling, prepare icing.  Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and the remaining half of the glaze in bowl; mix until smooth.  Spread icing over cooled cake.  Refrigerate until serving time.

Yield: 1 cake; 8 to12 servings.

Raspberry Mead Dream Cups
Third Place Winner - 2013 Missouri State Fair (Just Desserts Contest)
Gabriele Sage Harlan, Green Ridge, Missouri

Raspberry Wine Sauce:
1 1/2 cups raspberry mead
2 cups fresh raspberries
2 tablespoons honey

Pastry cream:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
6 egg yolks
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 1/2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon lemon extract
2 cups fresh raspberries, for topping

Chocolate cups (optional):
12 ounces dark chocolate wafers
Small (9-inch) balloons

For Raspberry Wine Sauce, combine raspberry mead, raspberries and honey in a medium saucepan; simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool. Refrigerate until needed.

For pastry cream, combine sugar and egg yolks in a medium-size heatproof bowl; stir well. (Do not let the mixture sit too long or clumps of egg will begin to form.) Sift flour and cornstarch onto egg yolk mixture; mix to form a smooth paste.

Meanwhile, pour milk into saucepan and bring just to boiling (just until milk starts to foam up).  Remove from heat and slowly add hot milk to egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. (If you get a few pieces of egg, or curdling, in the mixture, pour it through a fine mesh strainer.) Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly.  After it comes to a boil, whisk mixture constantly for 30 to 60 seconds, until it becomes thick.  Remove from heat.  Stir in vanilla and lemon extracts.

Pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming.  Let cool to room temperature.  If not using right away, refrigerate until needed, up to three days. Whisk or stir before serving to get rid of any lumps that may have formed.

Spoon pastry cream into dessert cups or small bowls. Top with fresh raspberries. Spoon some Raspberry Wine Sauce over each serving. Serve at once.

Serving suggestion: Serve pastry cream in chocolate cups, if desired. To make chocolate cups, blow up balloons to desired cup size. Place large, heat-resistant bowl on top of pan of simmering water; make sure bowl is dry inside. Place dark chocolate wafers in bowl and melt, stirring often. Dip each inflated balloon into melted chocolate, coating half of the balloon. (You may have to turn balloon to form scallops of chocolate.) Dip bottom of balloon a second time for a thicker mass, then place on waxed paper-lined tray. Place balloons in refrigerator for 10 minutes, or until chocolate is firmly set. Remove from refrigerator, pop balloons and peel balloons from chocolate cups; discard balloons. Place each chocolate cup on serving plate. Pipe pastry cream into the cups. Top with fresh raspberries. Spoon some Raspberry Wine Sauce over each serving. Serve at once.

Winelicous Capped Steaks
First Place Winner - 2013 Missouri State Fair (Cooking with Missouri Wine)
Pam Steen, Leeton, Missouri

White Wine Seared Steak:
2 Kansas City strip beef steaks
Coarse salt
Black pepper and Larry the Cable Guy Seasoning, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup semi-dry white wine

White Wine and Garlic Mushrooms:
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup semi-dry white wine
16 ounces fresh mushrooms (your choice of type), halved or sliced
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

For the steaks: Rub steaks with salt; let stand for 1 hour at room temperature. Rinse salt off steaks; pat steaks dry. Season to taste with pepper and seasoning mix.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat.  Add steaks, searing the fat sides first; turn to sear both sides of steaks (melt butter in hot skillet if needed).  Turn off heat. Add wine and cover.  Let stand 5 to 10 minutes, or until done as desired. Test for doneness with a meat thermometer: rare, 140 degrees; medium, 160 degrees; well, 170 degrees.

Meanwhile, prepare mushrooms: Heat butter and olive oil in skillet over medium heat until butter is melted and starts to bubble. Add garlic, stirring frequently, until it turns golden, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in white wine and bring to a simmer.  Add mushrooms; toss to coat with sauce. Reduce heat to medium low; cover and simmer  5 to 8 minutes, or until mushrooms are cooked through and golden. Drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle with parsley.

Serve mushrooms on top of or alongside steaks.

Yield: 2 servings.

Wine-Braised Beef Short Ribs
Second Place Winner - 2013 Missouri State Fair (Cooking with Missouri Wine)
Lorin Fahrmeier, Wellington, Missouri

2 tablespoons olive oil
8 beef short ribs
Salt and black pepper, to taste
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups dry red wine
2 cups beef stock
1 large can whole tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Cheese Grits (see recipe)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Heat olive oil in a heavy ovenproof pot over medium-high to high heat.  Sprinkle short ribs with salt and pepper.  Brown short ribs in oil, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side.  Use tongs to remove ribs to a plate.

Carefully pour off excess oil. Add garlic, onion, mushrooms and carrots to pot. Stir and cook for a minute or two. Add wine, beef stock, tomatoes, tomato paste and red pepper flakes. Tie thyme and rosemary together with kitchen twine and add to pot. Add salt to taste. Stir to combine.

Using tongs, return ribs to the pot, submerging as much as possible in the sauce. Cover and bake in 300-degree oven 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or until ribs are tender and meat is falling off the bone.

Remove and discard herb bundle. Serve ribs hot, with sauce, over hot Cheese Grits (see recipe).

Note: If you don't have a Dutch oven or other ovenproof pot, you can prepare this  on the stove top. Follow the same instructions, except cook ribs over medium-low heat for about the same amount of time.

CHEESE GRITS

2 cups quick grits, uncooked
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half or light cream
4 teaspoons butter
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt, to taste

Heat broth in medium pan. Add grits; stir. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover and cook according to package directions, stirring occasionally.  After 30 minutes, stir in half-and-half and butter.  Cook until grits are tender.  Remove from heat. Stir in cheese, garlic powder and cayenne.  Check seasoning and add salt and cayenne to taste.  Serve with Wine-Braised Beef Short Ribs (see recipe).

Deluxe Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Third Place Winner - 2013 Missouri State Fair (Cooking with Missouri Wine)
Pat Finkes, Steelville, Missouri

3 tablespoons butter
3 fresh basil leaves, finely sliced
4 slices bread
1 tablespoon bacon grease
1/2 cup chopped onions
6 baby belle or button mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cups sweet red wine
1 cup beef stock
2 teaspoons butter
8 to12 fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Havarti cheese
1/2 cup grated Manchega cheese

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in small saucepan; stir in basil. Brush one side of each piece of bread with butter mixture.

Melt bacon grease in skillet. Add onions and mushrooms; cook and stir until lightly browned.  Add wine, beef stock and 2 teaspoons butter.  Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat and simmer until mixture is reduced to 1/3 cup.

Place the spinach leaves on unbuttered sides of two slices of bread, dividing evenly. Sprinkle the cheeses on top of spinach-topped slices of bread, dividing evenly. Spoon the wine reduction over the cheese, dividing evenly. Top each with another slice of bread, buttered side on the outside.

Warm a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place sandwiches in skillet and cook until the bread has toasted to a nice golden brown and the cheese has melted; turn to cook other side. (You might have to cook one sandwich at a time, depending on the size of the pan.)

Serve with tomato soup, if desired.

Yield: 2 sandwiches.

Named for the man who coined the term "show-me" this modern twist on a Moscow Mule will have you saying "Show me another, please."

1 oz.  Vodka

.5 oz The Big O Ginger Liqueur

.25 oz Lime Juice

3-4 oz Les Bourgeois Vineyards Brut Sparkling Wine

Shake all ingredients except the sparkling wine and strain into an ice filled copper mug. Top with sparkling wine, and garnish with a lime wedge.

This winetail was developed by Doug Frost in conjunction with The American Restaurant for the 2014 Paris of the Plains Festival.

Named for a Missouri flower, this winetail is appropriately aromatic.

0.5 oz. Lemon Juice

0.5 oz. Benedictine Liqueur

0.5 oz. Cognac

2-3 oz. Hermannhof Vignoles

Shake all ingredients except Vignoles wine and strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Top with Vignoles, and garnish with lemon wheel between glass and ice.

This winetail was developed by Doug Frost in conjunction with The American Restaurant for the 2014 Paris of the Plains Festival.