There are some interesting food and dishes available at Summerfest this year. However, some of these dishes are only available 11 days out of year. Lucky for you and I, there is the internet. I found some recipe variations of Summerfest food that you can make at home. All of these recipes have a little twist to the original and some incorporate local ingredients.
The first dish is La Perla's Bunuelos. A bunuelo is a fried dough ball common to countries like Mexico, Cuba, Peru, Argentina and Guatemala. It is often served with a syrup made with unrefined cane sugar known as piloncillo. I found a version call ‘Drunken Bunuelos’ or ‘Cuban Style Beignets.’ These bunuelos feature a cinnamon-anise syrup made with some dark rum. Check out the recipe here via Flamboyant Eats.
Vagabond is a new Summerfest vendor this year. They make a variety of tasty tacos. The one that stands out for me is their Argentinian Beef Tacos. I found two takes on this dish. The first is Chimichurri Steak Tacos via Oh So Delicioso. Chimichurri is an Argentinian condiment made with minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, and vinegar. The second dish isn’t a taco, but an Argentinian empanada filled with ground beef, raisins, hard-boiled eggs, olives, and various spices. To be honest, I think empanadas make the perfect Summerfest food.
For the vegetarians, I found a couple of variations to Mille’s French Fried Cauliflower. The first dish isn’t made with cauliflower but with it’s cousin broccoli. It is called ‘Korean Fried Broccoli,’ which I actually made for my co-workers at 88Nine. The recipe comes from a New York vegetarian restaurant, Dirt Candy. You can of course use cauliflower like this recipe via Serious Eats .
For my meat-eating fans, Saz’s Dockside has Bacon Wrapped Cherrywood Smoked Pork Belly. I didn’t think I would find a variation of this dish, but thanks to the Los Angeles Times I found it. The recipe was adapted from the blog "Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef.”
Over at Botana’s they serve guacamole with chips. So I wanted to find a guacamole dip that used crabmeat. I had a similar dish when I was in Philadelphia for a conference a few weeks back. I came across this one that used Old Bay seasoning and lump crabmeat. I also came across vegan dip made with poblano peppers and pecans via the site Tasting Table.
Next to 88Nine’s booth at Summerfest is Island Noodles. Island Noodles serves wok-fried soba noodles with vegetables and/or chicken. Over at the site The Kitchn, I found a delightful soba noodle dish made with a lot of sesame and garlic flavor with a fried egg on top.
For those with a sweet tooth, you can get Classy Girl Cupcakes’ ‘Gluten Free Cinnamon Pecan French Toast’ at Summerfest near the BMO Harris Pavilion. What happens when Summerfest is over and you are craving the french toast. I did found a boozy version called ‘Gluten-Free Bourbon Baked French Toast’ via the blog Gluten Free Wifey. The toast is made with a healthy portion of bourbon. I recommend not using cheap bourbon for this dish. Trust me, you can tell the difference.
The 'Reuben Rolls' at Summerfest are probably one of the most popular dishes at the festival (I assume because everyone I talk to raves about them). I actually have the recipe from Mader’s courtesy of the Journal Sentinel. I recommend you use Jake’s Deli corned beef for this dish.
The final dish is an obvious one - cheese curds. Instead of a typical cheese curd recipe, I refer to my southern roots for a dish called Pimento Cheese Fritters with Green Tomato Jam via the James Beard website. Instead of making your own Pimento Cheese, use Milwaukee’s own ‘Martha’s Pimento Cheese.' ‘Martha’s Pimento Cheese’ is heaven in a jar.
Let me know if you make any of these dishes. I would love to know how they turned out! Below check what folks like to eat at Summerfest.
