So far the "Best" of NY State Fair recipes judged :

from Linda Morgan, North Bay, NY-- Dill Pickles

Wash & soak the cucumbers overnight in Cold Water

Prepare the brine by heating 3 quarts of water, 1 quart of Cider Vinegar and cup of canning calt in a stainless steel pot.

In clean quart jars, place 1 and ½ teaspoons of minced garlic, 1 to 2 bay leaves and 2 sprigs of dill, tops and stems (if fresh dill weed is not available, use 1 ½ teaspoon of dill seed.

Pack the jars very tightly with the cucumbers leaving room for ½ inch of headspace.

Pour hot brine into the jars leaving ½ inch of headspace, wipe jar lid clean and seal with new lids.

Process the sealed jars in hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove the jars and set aside letting them cool. Jars will seal with a pop and lids will be depressed when sealed.

Three-Layer Mocha Cake

INGREDIENTS:

 3 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened chocolate

 2 ¼ cups sifted cake flour

 2 tsp. baking soda

 ½ tsp. salt

 ½ cup butter

 2 ¼ cups firmly packed light brown sugar

 3 eggs

 1 ½ tsp. vanilla

 1 cup dairy sour cream

 1 cup hot strong coffee

 Coffee Cream filling, recipe follows

 Mocha Butter Cream Frosting, recipe follows

Directions:

1. Melt chocolate in a small bowl over hot, not boiling, water (or in microwave); cool.

2. Grease and flour three 8 inch round layer cake pans; tap out excess flour.

3. Sift flour, baking soda and salt onto wax paper.

4. Beat butter until soft in large bowl. Add brown sugar and eggs; beat with mixer at high speed until light and fluffy, 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla and cooled melted chocolate.

5. Stir in dry ingredients alternately with sour cream, beating well after each addition until batter is smooth. Stir in hot coffee. (Batter will be thin). Pour at once into prepared pans.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes or until done. Be careful not to overbake.

7. Cool layers in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; turn out layers on wire racks to cool completely. When cool, fill with Coffee Cream Filling and frost with Mocha Butter Cream frosting.

Mocha Butter Cream Frosting

INGREDIENTS:

 1 cup butter

 ½ cup shortening

 ¼ cup Egg Beaters (thawed)

 1 cup cocoa

 1 tsp vanilla

 2 lbs 10x sugar

 1/3 cup coffee liqueur

Directions:

1. Mix until ingredients are moistened, then beat until fluffy (about 5 to 10 minutes).

Mocha Butter Cream Filling

Coffee Cream Filling:

In a saucepan stir together:

 1/3-cup sugar,

 2 Tbsp. cornstarch

 dash salt.

Directions:

Beat together 1 ¼ cups milk and 2 egg yolks, add to sugar mixture and mix thoroughly. Cook stirring constantly over medium heat until thick. Remove from heat; blend in 1 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp. Coffee liqueur. Chill in refrigerator.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Raspberry-Peach Freezer Jam

INGREDIENTS:

 3 ½ cups rinsed fruit (about 1 ½ pt. fully ripe red raspberries and 1 ¾ lb. fully ripe peaches

 1 ½ cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

 1 packet Ball Fruit Jell Freezer Jam Pectin

Directions

1. Rinse clean plastic containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly.

2. Measure 1 ½ cups sugar into a bowl. Add the contents of 1 pouch of freezer jam pectin. Stir to blend.

3. Crush raspberries, one layer at a time. Measure 1 ½ cups raspberries into large bowl. Peel and pit peaches. Finely chop or grind peaches. Measure 2 cups prepared peaches into bowl with raspberries. Add the pectin/sugar mixture and stir for 3 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Fill containers to within ½ of tops. Wipe off edges of containers and cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature until thickened (about 30 minutes). Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks or freeze for up to a year. Thaw in refrigerator before using.

Coconut Custard Pie

INGREDIENTS:

Crust:

 2 cups flour

 1 tsp salt

 2/3 cups chilled Crisco

 2 tbs chilled butter

 4-6 tbs ice water

Filling:

 3 large eggs

 2 large egg yolks

 1 cup sugar

 1 cup heavy cream

 1 cup light cream

 1 tsp vanilla

 1 tsp coconut extract

 Pinch of salt

 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Garnish:

 Fresh sweetened whipped cream

 Sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Sift flour and salt together into a bowl.

3. Cut in chilled Crisco and butter until crumbly, using a pastry cutter or two knives.

4. Add ice water 1 tbs. at a time, stirring with a fork until mixture comes together in a ball.

5. Gently form crust mixture into a flattened ball, and roll out on a flour-sprinkled surface. Do not over-handle.

6. Line a 10" pie plate with dough and crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork. Prick the bottom and sides with a fork.

7. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

8. Reduce heat to 350 degrees.

9. Combine the eggs and egg yolks in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer, gradually add the sugar.

10. Add the heavy cream, light cream, vanilla, coconut extract and salt. Continue to mix briefly.

11. Stir in the flaked coconut.

12. Ladle the filing to the cooled pie crust.

13. Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake until the top is golden brown and the custard is set  about 50 to 55 minutes. About halfway through baking, rotate the pie 180 degrees so that the back of the pie is now in the front of the oven.

14. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool completely.

Diane