You can almost taste it — soaking in the sun at the ballpark, hearing the “crack!” of a deep fly while you crunch on a salty snack and sip something cold and bubbly. Or those warm afternoons wandering the state fair, enjoying treats so sweet they make your teeth tingle while you search out something irresistible on a stick. 

I bet you can’t help but smile at those delicious memories.

Your summer menu can do the same for your guests. The trick is to spark nostalgia with a familiar ingredient, while offering enough of an elevated twist that the summer LTO beats their tried-and-true menu favorites.

Pounds of Protein

No matter your favorite state fair treat, it likely involved some salty, smoky pile of protein. These protein-forward ideas tap right into the same summer nostalgia:

• BBQ Beef Firecrackers: What’s more “American summer” than an appetizer named firecracker? Stuff jalapenos with expertly seasoned Ridgecrest® Fully Cooked Brisket and cream cheese, wrap in applewood bacon, fry, and top with an explosion of fried onion strings. It’s the kind of app that has guests saying, “We’ll have one of those!”

• Pork Belly Pancakes: Who’s ready to pig out when supple, salty pork belly is on the menu? Cook single-source Allegiance® Pork Belly until crisp, slice thick, dip into your favorite Heritage Ovens® Pancake Mix, and griddle until cooked through. You can satisfy both your sweet and your spicy guests by offering a choice of dipping sauces, from maple syrup to Asian Pride® Sweet Chili.

• Cross-utilize your brisket by offering a Ridgecrest Beer Cheese and Brisket Pretzel Melt. Featuring a pretzel bun, beer cheese, and sauerkraut with potato chips and pickles on the side, this sandwich has all the flavors of a ballpark concession stand rolled into one bite.

Fried Fun

Fried food screams summer state fair. Uplevel those core memories with some unique spins.

• Nashville Hot Chicken “Croffles.” Roll croissant dough in sugar and press in a waffle iron until golden and caramelized. Place a piece of breaded, fried chicken breast or thigh doused in Delancey Street Deli® Nashville Hot Sauce, housemade bread and butter pickles, and a drizzle of honey in between two “croffles.”

• Go “Caprese” with Cheese Curds. Add Italian seasoning into the breading of a mozzarella cheese curd, drizzle with Piancone® Epicureo Imported Organic Balsamic Glaze and serve with a tomato basil bruschetta blend. This appetizer appeals to both guests who enjoy a fried crunch, and those who prefer a lighter bite.

So Sweet

No day at the ballpark or state fair is complete without a little something sweet — or let’s be honest, probably two or three sweets. The challenge is to spark a sweet memory without serving something too cloying.

• Cotton Candy Margaritas keep the eye-catching fun of cotton candy, while balancing out sweetness with citrus, alcohol, and salt. Add a handful of cotton candy made with Sunglo Floss Sugar Cotton Candy Mix to a glass, sprinkle with popping candy for extra texture and crackling fun, then pour in Contigo® Margarita Mix Concentrates with your spirit of choice. This cocktail is bound to turn more than a few heads.

• Ice cream, hot fudge, and bacon, what screams ballpark more than that? Try this recipe for Ridgecrest Bacon Brittle served atop a simple scoop of vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, and, of course, a cherry on top.

• “Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks...” Offer guests the chance to crunch on your in-house version with Miso Caramel Corn, tossing Great Western Popcorn in a rich caramel glaze, featuring butter, brown sugar, and a dollop of white miso paste for a touch of savory, snackable, on-trend international flavor.

• Need a fuss-free dessert sure to please? Contigo Cinnamon Churro Style Cheesecake pairs the sweet, unmistakable flavors of cinnamon churro in a vanilla cake layer with the balanced, rich tang of traditional New York-style cheesecake.

Bring a little ballpark and state fair magic to your menu this summer, and you just might turn first-time orders into repeat riders.