Back in January, West Virginia hosted the Cast Iron Cook-Off, which may be the tastiest day this side of Thanksgiving. Organizers describe it as "West Virginia’s culinary trade fair."
That seems like a sterile description for an event that features dishes like Butternut Squash Corndogs, Old School Vanilla Bean Waffles, and Sweet and Spicy Pork Rinds.
You can find the winners and, more importantly, the recipes on the event's website. Here's one to get you started:
Buttered Hickory Nut Ice Cream
from Cafe Cimino
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs beaten
1/3 cup chopped hickory nuts
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cooking Directions:
Into a medium hot skillet, add the butter and the nuts, stirring to avoid burning, and remove from the heat when they start to brown and soften, then set hickory nuts aside
Heat a sauce pan to low and pour in the heavy cream and milk and vanilla extract.
Blend the beaten eggs and brown sugar
Pour 3 tablespoons of the heated cream mixture into the bowl with the egg mixture to temper the liquid. Stir.
Once the egg mixture is tempered, pour it into the sauce pan at a rate of one-third of the mix every 45 seconds
Stir while simmering for two to three minutes
Then add the hickory nuts and romove from heat and let cool
pour this cooled mixture into your ice cream maker, mix until it becomes the texture of creamy custard
Serve garnished with a drizzle of maple syrup and whole hickory nuts
Serve with hot, black French Press coffee