Published: July 11, 2008 11:02 am      

Dutch oven cookoff features homegrown produce and fun

Good food and good times.

The Pittsburg County OSU Extension Service Dutch oven cookoff was a hit with those in attendance at the Farmers Market in downtown McAlester Thursday evening. The cookoff featured three, two-person teams of amateur cooks who whipped up a few dishes even Bob Flay could be proud of.

The entrants into the contest were required to use ingredients that are produced in Southeast Oklahoma. Most of the produced used by the three teams was purchased just moments before preparation, at the Farmers Market.

Each team prepared two dishes — a main course and a dessert. The desserts swept the contest and were awarded first, second and third place, with each team taking home a prize.

The judges were Kevin Priddle, McAlester Mayor; Mark Emmons, local photographer and husband of LaDell Emmons with the extension service; and Phil Beatty, local gardening expert. After all six dishes had been tasted, the judges concurred that the dessert dish prepared by James Hardin and Kenna Dunlay of Hartshorne was just peachy, and awarded the peach cobbler first prize.

The ingredient that may have put Troop 417’s cobbler over the top — besides the fresh peaches from the Farmers Market — was the sprite and orange juice used in the crust.

“We used half a can of Sprite, half a glass of orange juice and a thickening agent,” Hardin, Boy Scout Troop 417 Scoutmaster said. “I learned to make cobbler this way from a scoutmaster at camp in Arkansas. I had used the recipe about three years ago and used strawberrys and kiwi instead of peaches.

“The eight boys who were with me, finished off the entire batch in less than 10 minutes so I knew it had to be pretty good.”

Hardin said he has been cooking with Dutch ovens for about five years and as with anything, the more you do it, the better you get at it.

Hardin and Assistant Scoutmaster Dunlay prepared chicken and dumplings as their main course.

Second place went to the team of Ted Evicks and Randy Crone for their blackberry cobbler. Crone and Evicks’ main dish was chicken gumbo. Third place went to Mike and Zoey Carter for their peach dump cake. Their main dish was titled “Mountain Man Breakfast.”

Hardin and Dunlay were awarded a new Dutch oven for winning the competition. Second and third place received cash prizes.