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Updated: 08/06/2010 2:06 PM KSTP.com | Print |  Email
By: Gail Brown

Sunday, July 11, 2010: "How Sweet It Is!"

Join Jason Davis for the sweetest "On the Road" journey we've ever taken!  From the state's favorite candy bar to the best ice cream in America, we'll show you how Minnesotans love to make these scrumptious, delicious treats!  You'll be hungry for more when you see bakers make by hand a traditional Czechoslovakian cookie and watch how generations of one family have followed the same candy recipes that are 100 years old.  Plus, we'll visit the pie capitol of Minnesota, where they eat the flaky pastry...a lot!

Click on the links below to watch individual segments:

The Pie Capital of Minnesota
Every summer, the first Friday in August, Braham Minnesota celebrates "Pie Day"!  Governor Rudy Perpich declared the town the "Homemade Pie Capitol" in 1990 and they've been having a good time ever since!  We got a chance to sample some of their finest pies...and watch and see how one baker creates a new kind of pie!  By the way, if you can't make it to Braham on "Pie Day," you can stop by the Park Cafe anytime for a cup of coffee and a taste some of the best flaky pastry in Minnesota!

Marilyn McGiff bakes hundreds of pies for the "Pie Day" festival in Braham.  Here's Marilyn's recipe, that she says turns anyone into an expert pie baker!

"Marilyn's Best Braham Pie Crust"
This recipe makes 20 crusts at a time for freezing as you need them.
 
This takes a VERY large bowl.  A large roaster works well to mix ingredients.
 
20 cups (5 pounds) flour.  Marilyn recommends "Swany White."
1 TBSP. salt
3-pound can of shortening OR 3 lbs. of home-made lard
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup white vinegar
 
Combine flour and salt in very large container.  Cut shortening into mixture.  Combine vinegar and water and add all at once to flour mixture and mix well.
Divide dough into 20 oblong rolls or flat patties.  Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze what you don't immediately need.  Use within 12 months.
 
Marilyn tell us: "You don't have to measure since you use a five-pound bag of flour and three-pounds of shortening/lard."  When asked if she ever divided the recipe in half or made smaller quantities, she said, "Never.  The idea is that you mix this batch of dough, put it in little dough logs in the freezer and then pull it out for a really easy dessert."

Canelake Candy
The Canelake family doesn't fool around when it comes to making their homemade candy!  They've been making chocolate walnut fudge, sweet cream caramels, turtles, and much more since Gust Canelake opened his candy shop on the Iron Range in 1905.  Today, you'll find their delectable offerings at the Great!Lakes Candy Kitchen in Knife River, Minnesota, and on the internet!

Izzy's Ice Cream
You may know it as that great little ice cream shop on Marshall Avenue in Saint Paul, but in 2005, Reader's Digest named Izzy's Ice Cream the best in America.  Owner Jeff Sommers also came out on top in an episode of Bobby Flay's Throwdown on the Food Network.  We got the chance to watch Jeff make his signature flavor, "Hot Brown Sugar"!   By the way, you can buy Izzy's Ice Cream at many grocery stores around the Twin Cities. 

Czechoslovakian Oblaten Cookies
Believe it or not, this traditional Czech sweet treat is made in a small town called New Germany, Minnesota...made mostly by hand at the Awards International Bakery. 

Pearson's Candy
In a factory off West Seventh Street in Saint Paul, workers follow the same old-fashioned recipes they've been using for decades to make some of Minnesota's favorite candy bars--the Salted Nut Roll and Nut Goodie.  We got a chance to tour Pearson's Candy Company to find out how they do it!


 


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