Saturday, June 7, 2008

Chorizo Corn Puffs (a spin on the classic corndog)

I received a new cookbook this week from my Mother-in-law which I am so excited about! It is the Surreal Gourmet Bites: Showstoppers & Conversation Starters. The recipes are all very whimsical and include such treats as pearls of wisdom, lucky duck, french fried polenta and bee stings. I am going to try and make quite a few items from this book as the pictures will be worth a thousand words.

Today I made something simple that didn't require the oven since it is so hot. This recipe is perfect for a day that may include baseball, squirt guns and swimming in the backyard pool.

It is a new take on the ballpark classic - corn dogs.

Ingredients & Preparation: (from Surreal Gourmet Bites: Showstoppers & Conversation Starters)

Dry
  • 1/2 cup flour (I used whole wheat flour)
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal
  • 1/2 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Wet

  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup of milk
  • 2 tablespoons of canola oil
Other
  • 3-4 cups of peanut oil for frying
  • 8 inches of chorizo , ideally 1 inch in diameter
  • assortment of mustard

In a large bowl, mix all your dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, mix all your wet ingredients. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter is smooth (pancake batter consistency).

Pour peanut oil into a small, tall pot until 3" deep. Heat oil to 350F.

Peel and discard chorizo casing. Cut into 1/2 inch slices or form into little balls (which ever is easier for you).

Coat chorizo in the batter. Place 6 at a time in the oil and fry for about 1.5 minutes - turning half way through. Transfer to a paper towel and serve hot with the assorted mustard. I used traditional French's yellow mustard, Maille green mustard and Honey Mustard.

Serve as a light afternoon snack. Delicious with cold beer and sweet potato fries!




3 comments:

Liz said...

They look so good! I wish I had a deep fryer at home!

Liam said...

Did you use hot or sweet chorizo? I've only ever used choriza in soups but this looks great.

Elly said...

Wow, these look SO good! I love chorizo and breading it and frying it can only make it better :)