Off to the farm show!

Several Carbon County bakers are heading to Harrisburg this weekend to exercise their culinary chops at the Pennsylvania Farm Show.

The winners each captured blue ribbons at the Carbon County Fair in August, which earned them a trip to the state capitol.

The four contestants are Nancy Kibler of Albrightsville, Ashley Nothstein of Lansford and Christina Tomsic of Palmerton, as well as 8-year-old Eva Eroh of Weatherly.

Blue Ribbon Apple Pie

Nancy Kibler took first place at the county fair in the Blue Ribbon Apple Pie Contest with Grandma Bonnie's Apple Pie.

"I was totally shocked," said Kibler about her win back in August. "There was this lady there that I knew, and I said, 'Oh my God! I think I just won first prize.'"

A woman standing nearby heard Kibler, and asked her name.

"Then she said 'That crust was so delicious,'" Kibler said, assuming the woman was one of the judges. "I do have a good crust."

The woman then said to Kibler, "Guess what! You're going to Harrisburg!"

"I was just so happy I got the blue ribbon."

Kibler has been entering her apple pie recipes in the fair since 2007, but the best she's done in the past is a third- or fourth-place finish.

This year she says she went through some old recipes of hers and some from her mother-in-law and when she found the one called "Grandma Bonnie's Apple Pie," she decided to give it a shot.

"Every year I do something different, but this was a good one."

Excited and nervous about competing against 66 other Pennsylvania pie bakers, Kibler plans to take her pie to Harrisburg this afternoon so that it will be ready and waiting for Saturday morning's judging. She'll drive back on Saturday for the actual competition.

If she wins, she expects a visit from her former boss, state Sen. John Yudichak. Kibler worked for the senator in Jim Thorpe for five years, and for state Rep. Keith McCall before that.

"He told me if I win, to let him know."

Grandma Bonnie's Apple Pie

Crust

2 cups flour

½tablespoon sugar

¾teaspoon salt

¾cup lard

1 small egg beaten

½tablespoon vinegar

¼cup water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. With two knives cut in lard until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; mix together eggs, vinegar and water, then add flour mixture until dough is moist to form a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes. Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll one-half into a 12-inch circle. Press dough into pie plate. Crimp to form border, then prick bottom with fork. Place in freezer while preparing pie filling. Makes one double crust pie.

Filling

3 cups pared, cored and sliced apples

3 tablespoons flour

1 cup sugar

½teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix apples, flour, sugar and cinnamon. Stir gently. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Dab with butter and pour milk over filling. Roll top crust same as bottom and lift onto filled pie.Bake 40-45 minutes.

Angel Food Cake

Ashley Nothstein won the blue ribbon in the Angel Food Cake Contest this summer with her Lemon Meringue Angel Food Cake.

"This is my second win in the big item category," said Nothstein.

"I've won in the smaller categories as well, for cupcakes, etc. It's always exciting - and surprising - to win."

Last year, Nothstein took the top prize at the Carbon County Fair for her chocolate cake.

Nothstein explains how she came up with her winning recipe.

"I was looking for something different and summer-themed," she said. "It's a lemon angel food cake with homemade lemon curd filling. I piped meringue all around it and then used a kitchen torch to brown it."

Although she's making a repeat trip to Harrisburg, she said she's still nervous about facing off against some of the best bakers in the state.

The Angel Food Cake competition will take place at the farm show on Sunday.

Lemon Meringue Angel Food Cake

12 room temperature PA Preferred egg whites - Redner's brand

2 cups sugar

1½cups cake flour

¾teaspoon salt

1½teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a food processor, pulse sugar until it is superfine, roughly two minutes on low.

Combine ½ cup sugar with flour and sift together four times. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites, salt and cream of tartar until it forms medium firm peaks.

Sprinkle 1½ cup sugar over egg whites with the mixer running. Mix until thick and shiny.

Add lemon juice. Mix several additional minutes until very thick. Remove bowl from stand mixer. Scrape down whisk attachment, removing all egg whites and zest. Sprinkle ¼ of flour mixture into bowl and gently fold into egg whites using a clean rubber spatula. Repeat until all flour has been added.

Spoon batter into a very clean, ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Smooth with spatula.

Bake 40 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Invert pan upside down to cool.

Lemon Curd

4 tablespoons butter

½cup sugar

¼cup lemon juice

4 egg yolks

Combine in small saucepan and heat over medium heat until simmering. Curd is ready when it coats the back of a spoon. Allow to cool and then refrigerate.

Meringue

1 cup sugar

½teaspoon cream of tartar

4 egg whites

Heat all ingredients in double boiler until sugar is fully dissolved. Pour into stand mixer filled with whisk attachment and beat until stiff peaks form.

To assemble, cut cake in half and fill with lemon curd. Place layers together. Top with more lemon curd.

Pipe meringue onto cake and brown with a kitchen torch.

Chocolate cake and Chocolate Cookies Brownies and Bars winners

Christina Tomsic won the Chocolate Cake Contest at the Carbon County Fair with her Wine and Dine You Chocolate Cake. Tomsic has won the county competition in both the chocolate cake and angel food cake competitions numerous times and has made many trips to Harrisburg.

Eva Eroh was the winner in the Chocolate Cookies, Brownies and Bars category at the county fair. Her winning recipe is Chocolate Cherry Chocolate Chunk Fudgy Brownies.

We were unable to connect with Christina and Eva in time for today's publication.