PUEBLO, Colo. (KOAA) — Loretta Ivory has high expectations for competitors in the Colorado State Fair pantry division. She has spent nearly 30 years as a judge and last year I watched her at work.
Loretta Ivory: So I'm going to be a little brutal.
Dianne Derby: Why?
Loretta Ivory: Because they're adults.
Dianne Derby: What is brutal for you?
Loretta Ivory: Well, you'll see.
Dianne Derby: Okay, I'm ready
And let me tell you this, when she's judging she will not be influenced.
Loretta Ivory: Okay, now the taste test,
Dianne Derby: That's a fun part. Oh, I get to taste?
Loretta Ivory: Of course you do.
Dianne Derby: So I don't share my opinion?
Loretta Ivory: It won't make any difference to me anyway.
But that tough exterior as a judge actually softened quite a bit as she taught me how to make a blue ribbon cookie inside her kitchen in Centennial, Colorado.
Loretta Ivory: We're making a recipe called glazed almond cookies.
Dianne Derby: Why did you pick this one?
Loretta Ivory: Because it was one of my Daddy's favorites.
Dianne: So, glazed almond cookies, we start with the ingredients. I get that. I get the directions. You have all these notes on here. But what is the actual secret to making them well?
Loretta Ivory: The secret, to be perfectly honest, is following the recipe. And that may sound like, 'Oh well, duh.' No, you'd be surprised.
Loretta Ivory: It says, sift. Well, a lot of people say, Oh no, no, that's old fashioned. You don't have to, yes, you do. You have to sift.
Dianne Derby: Why?
Loretta Ivory: A couple of reasons. One, because as flour sits, it's going to compact, and so your measurements are going to be off.
Dianne Derby: So let's get started. So one cup of butter, right? All right butter is in.
Loretta Ivory:I measured a cup of sugar for you, right. Okay, ready to go. And this is my own personal preference, I always use cane sugar, because cane sugar and beet sugar are two very different things.
I also learned there's a right way and a wrong way to measure flour.
Loretta Ivory: A lot of people do this wrong. They're gonna scoop that flour up.
Dianne Derby: I'm that person.
Loretta Ivory: You're not gonna do that. You're just gonna ladle (the flour) in until it's overflowing, and then you're going to take your knife and you want to fill up the little holes. And then take the flat edge of the knife across the measuring cup.
Our final result: award-winning cookies.
Loretta Ivory: Aren't those gorgeous?
Dianne Derby: They are gorgeous.
After letting them cool, the official taste test was underway.
Dianne Derby: They're delicious.
Loretta Ivory:Aren't those good?
Dianne Derby: Maybe I should taste some more.
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