Cajun Chef Ryan - Feeling & sharing a world of cooking ~ more than your average Cajun

Hot Roast Beef Po-Boy

October 28th, 2008 · 11 Comments

Monique went to New Orleans and Baton Rouge this past weekend to visit with family and attend her sisters baby shower, and it was a surprise visit for most of them on Sunday. But on Saturday she wanted to get some local eats while on the whirlwind tour and ended up at a place called Cocodrie’s and ate a “Peace Maker” where Fried Shrimps & Fried Oysters are combined to form one of the best po-boy’s around. When I told Ben about her lunch his jaw just dropped, and then he started talking about the last time I had made some Hot Roast Beef po-boy’s at home.

To appease Ben’s taste for good ole N’Awlins flavor, I ventured out to the grocery late Sunday morning and I bought a pound of thin sliced rare roast beef, a loaf of French bread and some Iceberg lettuce and tomatos for what would be his lunch treat at half-time while we watched the Saints game on CBS.

Now in other parts of the world a po-boy might be known as a sub, grinder, or hero, but what really sets it apart from all the other sandwiches is that the bread is a crusty French bread loaf. In southeast Louisiana the best store bought brand of French bread for po-boy’s is Reising’s from Leidenheimers bakery. The crusty outside combined with the light and airy inside make Reising’s French bread the best all around in New Orleans.

A Lesson in Po-Boy History

During the early years of the 20th century, two brothers, Benny and Clovis Martin, migrated to New Orleans from rural Raceland, Louisiana. When the Martins first reached the city, they found employment as streetcar conductors. Later, they opened a sandwich shop near the French Market and made a culinary discovery: if they concocted sandwiches out of the traditional loaf of French bread, with its tapered ends, the resulting sandwiches would vary in size. The solution was relatively simple: the modern, more or less symmetrical po-boy loaf, which could be cut into equal size sandwiches.

As for the name, during the late 1920’s, the New Orleans streetcar conductors went on strike. The Martins vowed to feed their striking brethren for free. When one of the strikers entered their shop, the call went out: “Here comes anther po-boy!”

The ingredients that go into a po-boy are virtually limitless, depending on one’s imagination: hot roast beef with gravy, ham and cheese (known in New Orleans as a “combination”), fried seafood (oysters, shrimp, softshell crabs, catfish), hot sausage, meatballs–even French fries, yup, a French Fry po-boy can be had at most corner grocery store deli’s around the city. And the counter sandwich maker typically will ask you… “and do you want that dressed?” When the New Orleans po-boy is “dressed,” the reference has nothing to do with fashion: “dressed” in New Orleans nomenclature means that lettuce, tomatoes, and mayonnaise are added, and pickles too on some! Nothing fills you up quick and easy like a fresh hot po-boy made with fresh French bread.

Hot Roast Beef Po-Boy

Ingredients
1		lb.	Roast beef, thin sliced
2		Each	Tomatoes, sliced thin
¼		Head	Iceberg lettuce, shredded
½		Cup	Mayonnaise (Recommend Blue Plate brand )
12		Slices	Pickles
1		Loaf	French bread (Recommend Leidenheimer’s brand)
Gravy Ingredients
½		Cup	Onions, small diced
2		Cups	Beef stock
¼		Cup	Dark roux
1		Tbsp	Worcestershire sauce
1		Tbsp	A1 Steak sauce
Preparation Steps
1.	For the gravy sweat down the onions in a little olive oil then add the beef stock and bring to a boil. Add the roux and whisk well until smooth. Add Worcestershire and steak sauce stirring well. Simmer 20 minutes. Then add the thin sliced roast beef and allow to heat through.
2.	Quarter the French bread in 4 even pieces, and slice each piece ¾ of the way without cutting through.
3.	Spread mayonnaise evenly inside the French bread then layer the top side with sliced pickles, sliced tomatoes, and lastly with the shredded lettuce.
4.	On the bottom half gently and evenly lay the roast beef then ladle some of the hot gravy on top of the beef. Fold the top half over onto the bottom half and enjoy with a cold drink or frosty mug of brew.

→ 11 CommentsTags: Cajun · Creole · Culture · Mardi Gras · Recipes · sandwich

Chicken Breast Sauté

October 27th, 2008 · 1 Comment

This was one of those meals that I just threw together from what was on hand in the pantry and fridge and also decided to use up some other ingredients before making the grocery trip for the week. I had some button and portobello mushrooms that were prime candidates, and some green onions too. We also had some tomatoes that needed using up and added them to the menu as well. Along with some boneless skinless chicken breasts I decided to come up with sautéed chicken breast with a brandy mushroom sauce served with rice pilaf and baked tomatoes.

First I started with cutting the chicken breasts in half since they were thick and this would allow them to cook quicker and also double my portions. I then decided to marinate the chicken in beer, taking an idea from the ole “6-pack chicken” recipe that I’ve done many times and which Emeril made famous some years ago. Once the chicken breasts were cut I covered them with the contents of a 12-ounce bottle of beer and then added about 1 Tbsp of sea salt, 1 Tbsp of my Cajun Spice Blend, 1 Tbsp of Italian seasoning and mixed the spices well with the semi-brine. While this is not as much a brine as the original recipe, it is a variation that I think adds a good background flavor to the chicken. The chicken can be marinated for a few days if you wish before service time, I have the complete recipe listed below for ease of reference.

While the chicken was taking a nice cool beer bath, I started prep on the rice pilaf. I took an onion and medium diced about 1 cup and sweat-ed them down in a little olive oil. Then I added the sliced button mushrooms (1 cup) and some chopped green onions (1/2 cup) and allowed them to sweat down before I added the chicken stock. Then I brought this to a boil and added 1 cup of converted rice then brought it to a simmer then covered for 15 minutes. I removed the lid to stir the rice on occasion to prevent any sticking, I also seasoned the rice with a pinch of sea salt, a little Italian seasoning and 1 tsp of Cajun Spice Blend. I allowed the rice pilaf to simmer about 5 more minutes and then turned off the heat but let the pot sit on the stove top allowing the rice to continue to absorb the now just slightly steaming stock.
As the rice was simmering I started with flouring the marinated chicken breasts and began the sauté process. I took a couple cups of flour and mixed in some dry thyme leaves, salt and white pepper. Then individually I took each chicken breast from the marinade and allowed any excess liquid to drip off before dredging them through the seasoned flour. Meanwhile the sauté pan was getting very hot then I added some olive oil to pan and allowed it to get hot too before adding three pieces of the lightly floured chicken to the pan. I allowed each piece of the tender chicken to sauté on the first side until golden brown, then I flipped them over to finish the other side. Once browned on all sides I transferred the sautéed morsels to a sheet pan the oven to finish cooking them through.

Once all the chicken was done with the sauté I started the brandy mushroom sauce which utilized the portobello mushrooms and the remaining onions. In the same sauté pan that I just used for the chicken I sweat down the julienne onions in a touch of olive oil and then added some of the beer marinade to deglaze the pan and allowed the liquid to reduce to the au sec stage, or also known as almost dry. Then I added the portobello mushroom slices to sauté and once soft I flamed in about a half-cup of brandy, then I stirred in some beef stock and allowed this to reduce a bit. I then thickened this with about a quarter-cup of a dark roux that I had left over from a jambalaya I had made last week. I allowed this to thicken up and held on low heat until ready for service.
I also made a small batch of Baked Tomatoes and had these in the oven before the rice was started. Like clockwork and a well orchestrated symphony I pulled everything together in about an hour and we were sitting at the dinner table with light conversation and a fine meal shared with family.

The recipes included in this post are separated into the three listed below, 1. Chicken marinade and sauté, 2. Rice pilaf, and 3. Brandy mushroom sauce. The baked tomato and roux recipes are linked to previous posts in this blog.

Culinarily yours, CCR =:~)

Sautéed Chicken Breast

Ingredients
2		Lbs.	Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1		12 oz	Beer
1		Tbsp	Sea salt
1		Tbsp	Cajun Spice Blend
1		Tbsp	Italian Seasoning
2		Cups	Flour
1		Tsp	Thyme leaves, dry
1		Pinch	Sea Salt
1		Tsp	White pepper
2		Tbsp	Olive Oil
Preparation Steps (Note: Pre-heat oven to 375º F.
1.	Cut chicken breasts in half to form 2 thin breasts from each, and place in a small bowl.
2.	In the small mixing bowl with the chicken breasts add the beer, sea salt, Cajun spice blend and the Italian seasoning, mix well and allow to marinate up to 1 day if desired.
3.	In the other small mixing bowl add and mix the flour, thyme leaves, pinch of sea salt and white pepper.
4.	Heat the sauté pan until very hot and add 1 Tbsp olive oil and heat well.
5.	Remove the chicken from the marinade and allow excess liquid to drip off, then dredge 3 or 4 pieces of the chicken into the flour mixture shaking off any excess flour and then sauté in the hot olive oil. Sauté one side until golden brown then turn to brown the other side. Transfer to the sheet pan in a pre-heated 375ºF oven to finish cooking then dredge the remaining chicken, add more oil to the pan to get hot and sauté them as the first batch.

Rice Pilaf

Ingredients
½		Tbsp	Olive Oil
1		Cup	Sweet Onion, diced medium
1		Cup	Button Mushrooms, sliced
½		Cup	Green Onions, sliced
2 ¼		Cups	Chicken stock
1		Cup	Converted rice
1		Pinch	Sea salt
1		Tsp	Cajun Spice Blend
1		Tsp	Italian Seasoning
Preparation Steps
1.	Heat the olive oil in the sauce pot and then sweat the onions over medium-high until soft, then add the mushrooms and green onions and continue to sweat over medium-high heat.
2.	Add the chicken stock and bring to then add the remaining ingredients and return to a simmer and cover.
3.	Allow to simmer for 15 minutes covered, then stir rice some and allow to cook another 5 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to sit on stop top covered for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

Brandy Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients
½		Tbsp	Olive oil
1		Cup	Sweet Onions, julienne
2		Cups	Portobello mushrooms, thick cut
½		Cup	Beer
½		Cup	Brandy
2		Cups	Beef Stock
¼		Cup	Dark Roux
To taste			Salt and white pepper
Preparation Steps
1.	In the sauté pan heat the olive oil and then sauté the onions until soft then add the beer and allow to reduce to almost dry, au sec. Then add the mushrooms and sauté until soft.
2.	Add the brandy to flame and allow to reduce to au sec as well.
3.	Add the beef stock and bring to boil then reduce heat to a simmer.
4.	Stir in the dark roux to thicken the sauce and continue to simmer for 20 minutes then serve with sautéed chicken breast.

→ 1 CommentTags: Entrees · French Cuisine · Recipes

Foodbuzz 24,24,24: Food Fare at the North Carolina State Fair

October 25th, 2008 · Comments Off on Foodbuzz 24,24,24: Food Fare at the North Carolina State Fair

Having chatted about it for over two years since we first heard of the event in the fall of 2006 or about 6 months after settling in our move from Louisiana, we decided it was high time for us to attend the North Carolina State Fair. Once we made the decision to attend this year I knew it would make a great blog contribution, and then excitement grew when selected to participate in the Foodbuzz 24 Meals, 24 Hours, 24 Blog Posts event on October 25, 2008 where 24 food bloggers from around the globe are selected to report back on 24 foodie happenings within 24 hours. All images in this article are linked to the original, so you can click on them for a larger view.

The N.C. State Fair is a massive expanse and undertaking, so let’s start with breaking it down in plain numbers to present an idea of its size, scale and magnitude. The first North Carolina State Fair was held in 1853, and has been held every year since, with short interruptions only for the Civil War and WWII. It’s been held at the present site in Raleigh since 1928 and is the state’s largest event and is the largest ten-day agricultural fair in the United States.¹The fair runs for 11 days this year and opened at 3:00 PM on Thursday, October 16 and runs until midnight on Sunday, October 26, 2008. Last years record breaking attendance of 858,611 folks may be hard to beat with the current economic conditions as current figures are early and even with the addition of opening 1 day earlier than years past the total attendance count through Friday is down by just over 10%. Yet with over 350 food vendors serving up edible delights this year proves to be an all out eating bonanza and according to the fair surveys food is the top reason folks attend the event.

Fair food fare firsts

Chef Alan Rubin of Murphy House is offering Fried Pecan Pie and Deep-Fried Mac’n’cheese as two new firsts to the State Fair this year. Chef’s D’lites also has the Deep-Fried Mac’N’Cheese as well as Deep-Fried Banana Pudding (which we tried) and the Deep-Fried Fruit Cobbler. See Deep-Fried @ The N.C. State Fair.

The Deep Fried Pecan Pie and Deep Fried Mac’n’Cheese is also reviewed in the video segment from 30Threads ThreadCast that features new foods at the N.C. State Fair this year. One comment was that it tastes like a pie inside a cake, which makes for a very interesting flavor profile for the deep fried dessert. See Ginny Skalski from 30Threads on the ThreadCast video (embedded below) about new foods at the N.C. State Fair. 30Threads highlights top Internet blog posts on current events in the Triangle area which typically includes the region of Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill in North Carolina.

On an environmental note and what the fair deems “Funnel Cakes for Fuel” all of the oil used for deep frying food this year at the fair will be converted into bio-diesel after use and all the electrical generators at the fair will also be run on bio-diesel. Fair organizers expect to collect about 8,000 gallons of the liquid that gives life to corn dogs, funnel cakes, and fried candy bars. This year’s fair has a sub theme of green and has an exhibit called Green NC where fair goers can learn about ways they can decrease their environmental impact and carbon footprint.

Food fare we tasted

We started out with a couple of items from John the Greek’s booth which is located near entrance Gate 9 and not far from the Hog Racing Track. I ordered an Italian Sausage with Peppers & Onions Sandwich and a Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich for Ben. Both of these were great starters as Monique and I shared the Italian Sausage sandwich and Ben had the Philly Steak sandwich. Ben said it was the best Philly Cheese Steak sandwich he had ever tasted! I suppose it was the nacho cheese sauce ladled on top of the thin shaved steak with onions and peppers that made the difference, and not the typical Swiss cheese of traditional preparations. The Italian Sausage sandwich was your typical fare with a nice big bun and the peppers and onions were perfectly cooked, not too soft and not too tough.

After we scarfed down John The Greek’s high protein fare we got two of the soft hand rolled pretzels from Der Pretzel Haus. I got the Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel as requested for Ben and a Salted Pretzel dipped in Garlic Butter for Monique and I to split. Ben really scarfed down his pretzel and shared some with Monique too. Both were very tasty and fresh, the soft dough pulled apart easily and had a nice outer crust with just the right amount of coating for the cinnamon and sugar, and for the garlic butter pretzel.

These hand rolled pretzels have been made since 1995 by the St. Augustine, Florida based company. The Traveling Bakery makes stops at over 18 fairs from April to October every year along the east coast from southern Florida to the north in New Jersey.

After some more walking around we decided it was time for some Roasted Corn on the Cob with Butter. This was some of the sweetest roasted corn on the cob. Roasting them in the husk really preserves the natural sweetness and improves the flavor as the husk imparts an earthy tone that cannot be achieved any other way.

While we ate our corn I got a chance to meet some of the guys in the back at the pits as they worked the turkey legs and corn. It was a real treat watching them as they prepared the coals and pits for more turkey legs and corn cobs. We didn’t try a Turkey Leg this time around, but I have had them at past events. So much food, so little stomachs…
Then we walked our way on and not too far down the mid-way found the Fried Cheesecake with Strawberry & Chocolate Sauces and sprinkled with some Powdered Sugar on top. This was an interesting flavor combination, the soft and melted cheesecake took on a new flavor as the outer layer of fried dough did not overpower. It was a nice dessert treat. The dough was not a batter type but was rolled and wrapped around the cheesecake similar to and like an egg-roll fashioned item. This method proved to highlight the filling and not the dough flavor.

We then found Chef’s D’lites Fried Oreo Cookie and Fried Banana Pudding with Banana Pudding Sauce and ordered up those. I was really happy with the fried banana pudding as it had firm banana chunks surrounded by a medium batter and the thick banana pudding for dunking. The fried Oreo cookie just tasted like a bunch of dough with a little chocolate in the middle, not much flavor there other than the sweet dough. I was not impressed with our order of the Deep-Fried Oreo cookies, there was way too much batter surrounding them and that masked the flavor of the cookie.

We finally found the Fried Candy Bars and ordered up the Fried Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Candy Bar for Ben and the Fried Milky Way Candy Bar which Monique and I split. Eric got a Deep Fried Three Musketeers Candy Bar, he like it too. The fried candy bars are another one of those that seems to take away from the original flavor profile of the food item with too much of a sweet thick batter. Both fried candy bars just tasted like a little chocolate that had been dipped in a very thick sweet dough batter and fried. I suppose a thick batter is necessary to prevent the chocolate from escaping into the deep-fryer, but these are nothing more that large pieces of fried sweet dough with a little chocolate in the middle.

Friends try the new fare

Our friends and Monique’s co-workers at Steel Fab Erin Bibb and Becky Patterson attended the fair on Thursday evening and were given the task of tasting some of the new items, capture some images of them enjoying the evening and then report their findings back to us. Here is what they had to say about the Deep Fried Cheese Burger, “Unfortunatly I was not crazy about the Fried Cheeseburger. If you are going to take on one of these…better eat some Tums first,” said Becky.

The Deep-Fried Mac’N’Cheese got rave reviews from both Erin and Becky. Erin, “Ooooo…yummy! Crispy & cheesy!” “I really liked the fried mac’n’cheese, and thought they should be an appetizer item on a menu somewhere. Kids would love those,” she said. Becky also commented on the Deep-Fried Mac’N’Cheese and said, “…super yummy! Two things that have always been a huge fan of is mac and cheese. Yum yum!”

Next up on the fair food fare firsts they both tried the Deep-Fried Pecan Pie and both enjoyed that dessert treat. Becky said, “My favorite was the Fried Pecan Pie. I have never been a fan of pecan pie until now, it was super sweet with a little bit of chrunchiness in the middle.” Erin said, “It’s good, just really sweet & rich!” “The fried pecan pie, appeared to be the typical sweet, rich, pecan pie filling, incased in sweet dough. I liked this warm, “old-time” favorite, but definately couldn’t eat the entire piece because it was so rich.”

And then they delighted in the Deep-Fried Oreo Cookies. “The Fried Oreos are now another big favorite of mine sweet, slightly gooey, and crisp around the outside,” said Becky. Erin on the Oreo, “Oh my God, these are good!” “The Oreo’s tasted just like regular Oreo’s, but had a sweet and crunchy crust around them. They were warm, sweet, tasty little treats. A glass of milk with these would have hit the spot!”

Next Page >>>

References

¹North Carolina Office of Archives and History- URL: http://nc-historical-publications.stores.yahoo.net/nocastfafi151.html

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Foodbuzz 24,24,24: N. C. State Fair Food, Part II

October 25th, 2008 · 1 Comment

Food fare we saw but…

…among this list are the other food items we saw available but just could not fit into our little bellies:

Apple Chips
Apple Dumplings
Apple Fritters
Apple Pie
Baklava
BBQ Chicken and Ribs
Buffalo Shrimp
Burritos
Candied Apples
Calzones
Chicken Tenders with Fries
Cookies
Corn Dogs
Cotton Candy
Country Biscuit with Gravy
Doughnuts
Elephant Ears (fried dough)
Fajitas
Falafel
Fried Apple Cobbler
Fried Crab
Fried Ice Cream
Fried Pickles
Fried Moon Pie
Fried Onion Rings
Fried Oysters
Fried PB&J
Fried Pork Rinds
Fried Potatoes (many shapes and sizes)
Fried Shrimp
Fried Strawberry Cobbler
Fried Twinkies
Fried Vegetables (Broccoli, Cauliflower, Zucchini, Mushrooms)
Frozen Bananas dipped in chocolate
Frozen Pineapple on a stick, chocolate or cherry dipped
Fudge
Funnel Cakes
Grape Leaves
Ginger Bread
Gyros
Ham Biscuit with Butter
Hamburgers
Hot Dogs and Foot Long Dogs Hot
Fudge Cake with Ice Cream
Hummus
Hushpuppies
Ice Cream
Kettle Corn
Lemonade
Muffins
Onion Mum
Peanuts, Fresh Roasted and Salted
Pita Sandwiches
Pizza
Polish Sausage with Onions and Peppers Sandwich
Popcorn
Potato Chips, Fresh Fried
Nachos
Quesadillas
Roasted Almonds
Shrimp Tempura
Smoothies
Snow Cones
Sweet Potato Fries
Tabouleh
Tacos
Tator Tots
Taffy
Turkey Leg, Smoked
Wedgies

Gluten free food fare

For those who have an allergy to gluten there has been an effort to highlight the offerings that omit wheat or gluten based preparations from their food offerings. The Gluten Free Raleigh blog offers this list from fair vendors who promote their gluten free foods.

Foodie fair events

Bobby Flay Poster	Bobby Flay put on a cooking demonstration at Dorton Arena on Monday, October 20, 2008 and I am sure it was an all out throw down event. His show is being promoted on the N.C. State Fair blog spot as a backyard paradise where Bobby will be using North Carolina products and grilling the night away.
The News & Observer’s staff writer Andrea Weigl interviewed Bobby Flay just before his appearance on Monday night at Dorton Arena and do you know that his personal preference for grilling is charcoal. Yes! I love grilling on charcoal because gas just does not give food that smoke and grilled flavor.

State fair competitions

The fair boasts a wide range from the General Exhibits Division in Agronomy, Flower Show, and also includes Bees and Honey, and a Wine Competition too with only tastings and no wine bottle sales due to it being a “family” fair. Other divisions that are found at most state fairs includes the Livestock Division, Poultry & Rabbits Division, Special Exhibits, and of course the Family & Consumer Science Division which encompasses the Culinary Department and Special Cooking Contests.

The Culinary Department competitions included a total of $8,209 in awarded premiums for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place winners in entries ranging from the two broad categories of Food Preservation Products, and then the Breads, Cakes, Cookies, and Candies. The Food Preservation Products category items are judged on color, liquid, appearance, size uniformity, packing, and jar fill. This category includes but not limited to both canned and dried fruit competitions such as Apples, Apple Sauce, Figs, Pears, Plums, Raspberries, Single Fruits and Mixed Fruits. Vegetables include but are not limited to Asparagus, Beans, Corn, Okra, Peas, Peppers, Potatoes, Pumpkins, Soup, Spaghetti Sauce, and Tomatoes. The competition also has entries for preserves, jams, jelly’s, juices, syrups, conserves, marmalades, butters, pickles, relishes, chutneys, salsas and sauces. There is also a junior category for entries from those who are age 19 and under.

The Breads, Cakes, Cookies, and Candies category is judged on appearance, texture, crumb, and flavor. This category starts with the breads and includes such items as yeast raised breads including white, wheat or rye, sourdough bread, corn bread, rolls, muffins, coffee cake, quickbread, biscuits, cheese straws, and scones. The cake section is sub-divided into 1. Tube, Sheet or Loaf cakes and includes items such as angel food, fruit, pound, flavored pound, chocolate, fruit tube, and sheet cake. 2. Layer Cakes and includes chocolate, coconut, spice, yellow, white, fruit flavored and other. Cookies includes drop chocolate, oatmeal, ice box or rolled, shaped and pressed, bar or sheet, filled or sandwich, brownies, and biscotti-type. Candy includes fudge, divinity, mints, peanut brittle, hand dipped, and other. Then there is the Decorated Cake competition that includes wedding, shaped, novelty, or other both in professional and non-professional competitions.

The N.C. State Fair also hosts over a dozen Special Cooking Contests and here are some of the winners from this year’s competitions. Tiffany Wolfe of Fuquay-Varina, NC won the N.C. State Fair Cooking Contest with her S’more on a Stick recipe. Some of the other individual competitions and winners (see links for winners and recipes) include Sandra Bass from Dunn, NC who won the North Carolina Peanut Growers Association also sponsors a Pea-Nutty Vegetarian Main Dish Recipe Contest that is judged on taste, flavor, creativity, family appeal and ease of preparation. The winner of this contest gets a $200 first prize. Gail Fuller from Raleigh, NC won the House-Autry Mills in Your Oven Casserole Recipe Contest, with a $250 first prize. There is also a Stick with Canola Oil Fry at the Fair Contest with a $200 1^st place prize, and Gail Fuller from Raleigh, NC also won the Make It With Malt-O-Meal Recipe Contest with a $100 1^st place prize, Gail Fuller from Raleigh, NC also won the Fleischmann’s Yeast “Bake for the Cure” Baking Contest with a $1000 1^st place award and with a $10 contribution for each entry going to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. And Amanda Boury of Youngsville, NC won first place for the N.C. Apple Associations Apple Recipe Contest