Beer Batter
We use this recipe A LOT, so I thought I'd share it. It comes from a cookbook that is no longer in print, but is well worth the effort to buy second hand: Vegetables On The Side by Sallie Y. Williams; Macmillan General Reference, A Simon & Schuster Macmillan Company, 1633 Broadway, Mew York, NY, 10019; 1995; pg 17
12oz beer
1 cup all purpose flour
1 TBS salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
Now then, firstly, FRYING. Mike and I had a deep fryer - we finally ditched it on this last move. We prefer our small stock pot from our Emeril Ware collection. It holds about a gallon, is 10 inches in diameter and has a nice solid bottom with two handles. Put an couple of inches of oil (olive, peanut, canola, you get the picture) in it on medium heat, and you've got a nice ol' adjustable heat fryer without having yet another appliance cluttering your counter. Since we're using regular oil here, instead of some partially hydrogenated crap, the oil easily pours into the storage container of your choice if you're into re-using it - which we are.
Secondly, whenever you bread or batter something, whether you are baking it or frying it, whether or not the recipe calls for it, coat it with flour first. Trust me... Even if you're going to coat it with flour again, start with a dusting of flour first - it makes the wet stuff stick better.
So, what to fry with this beer batter? We usually do onion rings, but tonight it was eggplant. I don't like eggplant, but here's proof positive that if you saturate it with enough grease and salt, I'll eat anything... Mike peeled the eggplant, sliced it into 1/4 thick rounds, tossed the rounds into a ziplock bag with a couple of tablespoons of flour and shook it to coat them, dipped them in the batter, and then put them into the oil to fry, turning them once to make them a nice golden brown on both sides. We had extra batter, so we did up some zucchini in the same manner. You want it battered and fried? This is a good recipe for that.
Lastly, freshly ground pepper is totally expendable. Mike uses whatever Penzey's seasoning floats his boat. Tonight it was Tuscan Sunset. I'd think chili powder might be nice, but whatever you like.
Author Index
12oz beer
1 cup all purpose flour
1 TBS salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
Now then, firstly, FRYING. Mike and I had a deep fryer - we finally ditched it on this last move. We prefer our small stock pot from our Emeril Ware collection. It holds about a gallon, is 10 inches in diameter and has a nice solid bottom with two handles. Put an couple of inches of oil (olive, peanut, canola, you get the picture) in it on medium heat, and you've got a nice ol' adjustable heat fryer without having yet another appliance cluttering your counter. Since we're using regular oil here, instead of some partially hydrogenated crap, the oil easily pours into the storage container of your choice if you're into re-using it - which we are.
Secondly, whenever you bread or batter something, whether you are baking it or frying it, whether or not the recipe calls for it, coat it with flour first. Trust me... Even if you're going to coat it with flour again, start with a dusting of flour first - it makes the wet stuff stick better.
So, what to fry with this beer batter? We usually do onion rings, but tonight it was eggplant. I don't like eggplant, but here's proof positive that if you saturate it with enough grease and salt, I'll eat anything... Mike peeled the eggplant, sliced it into 1/4 thick rounds, tossed the rounds into a ziplock bag with a couple of tablespoons of flour and shook it to coat them, dipped them in the batter, and then put them into the oil to fry, turning them once to make them a nice golden brown on both sides. We had extra batter, so we did up some zucchini in the same manner. You want it battered and fried? This is a good recipe for that.
Lastly, freshly ground pepper is totally expendable. Mike uses whatever Penzey's seasoning floats his boat. Tonight it was Tuscan Sunset. I'd think chili powder might be nice, but whatever you like.
Author Index