FAIRFIELD – The finest chefs in Southeast Iowa put their cooking skills to the test on Sunday morning, June 30, during the Dutch Oven Gathering at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.

A Dutch oven is a thick-walled cooking pot that is the perfect camping accessory because it allows a family to bake dishes over charcoal just like they were using their oven at home. Sunday’s Dutch oven cookoff featured eight teams who competed to bake the best brunch dish and the best dessert for judge Angie Atwood. Atwood said this was her first time judging the event.

“I was asked to become the judge, and I accepted the challenge,” she said.

Atwood said she judged the dishes based on their presentation, flavor and consistency.

Teams could win a special prize if they used the “mystery ingredient,” but they had to agree to use it before they knew what it was. This year, the mystery ingredient was Nutella, a hazelnut cocoa spread.

The father-son combo of Joe and Tristen Garretson won first place in both the brunch and dessert categories, while the grandfather-grandson duo of Richard Heald and Dillan Post won the prize for Best Use of Mystery Ingredient.

Once Atwood was through judging the brunches and desserts, the public was invited to sample all the dishes.

GARRETSON FAMILY

The Garretsons walked away with top honors for their dessert, a blueberry buckle, and their brunch dish, enchiladas. Tristen said they knew enchiladas for brunch was “outside the box” thinking, but they were happy with how they turned out.

Joe remarked, “They look really pretty, so at least they pass the eye test.”

The Garretsons go camping often, and that gives them an opportunity to test out recipes in their Dutch oven.

“I like that it’s something you can do outdoors,” Joe said. “You don’t need an oven in your camper. Anything you can make in a regular oven, you can make in a Dutch oven.”

Joe explained that getting the temperature right is a matter of using the correct number of charcoal briquettes. For instance, a typical Dutch oven dish baked at 350 degrees requires seven briquettes underneath it and 17 briquettes above it. Those will last for about 30-40 minutes before they have to be replaced.

Tristen said that, not only is learning to cook a useful skill for later in life, it’s also helping him achieve a more immediate goal.

“I’m in Boy Scouts, and I’m getting my cooking merit badge. One of the requirements was to cook with a Dutch oven,” he said.

STACY FAMILY

Fairfield couple Vicki and Garth Stacy participated in Sunday’s contest along with their granddaughter McKenna Stacy. They made a hamburger casserole consisting of hamburger, bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, cheese and onion. For dessert, they made a fruit cobbler from cinnamon rolls, apple pie filling and cream cheese on top.

“We try to do something different every year,” Vicki said. “We did a trial run on our brunch menu yesterday, and adjusted from there by adding some stuff.”

Vicki said she and Garth use their Dutch oven two or three times per year.

“We’re going to Van Buren County this weekend, and we’ll do a lot of Dutch oven cooking there,” she said. “We usually go with a bigger group, with my brother and his wife, Richard and Deb Taylor. That’s when we get out the Dutch oven because, for portion size, it’s more than the two of us can eat.”

Vicki said cooking with a Dutch oven makes her feel connected to the past.

“It takes you back to the start of things, how people used to live and how they used to cook their meals,” she said.

HEALD FAMILY

Richard Heald and his grandson Dillan Post were rewarded for their superb use of the mystery ingredient, Nutella, in the syrup they made for their brunch item, a mixed berry loaded croissant French toast bake. For dessert, they made a pecan banana caramel nut cake.

“I’ve made the mixed berry one two or three times, but for our cake, this is the trial run,” Richard said.

Richard said he wasn’t worried how they would turn out.

“You just throw it in the pot and let it cook,” he said.

Richard said his favorite thing about Dutch oven cooking is doing it with friends and family. The family brings their Dutch oven for every camping trip, and they try to experiment with a new recipe each time.

“Desserts are always the hit of the party,” Richard said.

Richard said his family likes to camp at Lake Darling, and they’re usually responsible for supplying the food. He said he’s entered the Dutch oven contest every year for the past eight, and he and his wife Kortney are the chairs for the event.