Every now and then I find myself reminiscing about the smells and tastes of food you only find at places such as carnivals or fairs: sugar coated fried dough, dirty water hot dogs, greasy food truck gyros, caramel candy apples, fried Oreos…yep, just about everything you shouldn’t eat.
I’d have to say my favorite fairground food is corn dogs. I could probably down more than a couple and be content with myself.
I know, I know. How could this cornbread coated processed meat on a stick be something that a chef would want to eat? I hate to tell you but we chefs secretly love to indulge in processed foods every now and then – and corn dogs happens to be one of my favorites.
So I figure since I don’t make it to the fair very often (and who really knows what’s actually in those things) why not just make them at home? Even better, I make them bite-sized. Perfect for dipping and even better for snacking. I love to make these for friends joining me for a football game on the big screen or when the family is coming over to hang out for game night.
Mini Corn Dogs
Yields: approx 32 pieces
Ingredients:
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon honey
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
Vegetable oil for frying
8 all beef hot dogs
• Divide each hot dog into 4 equal pieces. Set aside. In a large bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, paprika, sugar and baking powder. Add in the milk, egg and honey. Stir well to combine.
• Preheat the oil in a large skillet or small fryer for frying. Add a few pieces of hot dog to the batter and roll until well coated. Carefully drop into the preheated oil and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Repeat for all the hot dogs. Drain on paper towels and serve with your favorite dipping sauces such as ketchup, honey mustard or barbecue sauce.
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Kayleigh Van Vliet Baig was born and raised in Riverhead, where she lives with her husband Tahir and their two dogs. Kayleigh is in her third season as Sous Chef at a private kitchen in Southampton. Not only is she second in command but her main focus is on creating, preparing and executing cold dishes such as salads, hors d’œuvres, appetizers, canapés, pâtés and terrines. Kayleigh has been in the culinary industry for the last 15 years, working her way up in kitchens on the East End. She also is a personal chef.
Look for In the Kitchen with Kayleigh every Saturday on SoutholdLOCAL.com.
Got questions? Recipes? Ideas? [contact-form-7 id=”27493″ title=”Write to Kayleigh”]
