It’s not everyday that you see the words “healthy” and “corn dog” in the same sentence. Okay, so maybe these dogs are not “healthy,” but they are healthier than the ones you find at the state fair. Then again, who goes to a carnival to eat health food? Cotton candy, corn dogs and fried coke are what most folks are chowing down on at summer festivals, but now you can get a taste of fair food in your own home.
In your own kitchen you can modify fatty recipes (such as corn dogs) to make them less artery clogging. Let’s start with corn dogs. Basically, they are hot dogs wrapped in cornbread. How simple is that? Very. Which is why you can easily fiddle with the recipe to make them healthier.
The key is choosing the right hot dog. Hebrew National Reduced Fat Beef Franks not only contain less fat than traditional hot dogs, but they also thinner than most wieners, which translates to better dog-to-breading ratio.
Turning to the breading. Most corn dogs served at the fair have a greasy texture to them mainly due to the fact that they are made in advance, giving the breading plenty of time to absorb too much of the oil it was fried in. To avoid dipping your dog in dense batter don’t over mix the batter and don’t allow the corn dogs to sit out for an extended amount of time prior to serving.
HEALTHY CORN DOGS
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow corn meal (fine ground)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 egg
1-1/4 cups buttermilk
1-1/2 teaspoons honey
1-1/2 quarts vegetable oil (or enough to fill a large skillet to a depth of 1 inch)
10 wooden skewers (7 to 8 inches long)
10 Hebrew National Reduced Fat Beef Franks (or other low fat thin hot dog)
Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, corn meal, baking soda and baking powder, salt and cayenne. Set aside.
In another medium bowl, whisk egg until frothy, then add buttermilk and honey and whisk until incorporated.
Add wet ingredients to dry, and gently stir with a wooden spoon until just incorporated. Do not over mix. The batter should be very thick and slightly lumpy.
Ladle some batter into a tall drinking glass, slightly longer than the hot dog.
In a large, deep skillet or a deep fryer, heat about 1 inch of oil to between 350 and 375 degrees.
Skewer each hot dog, inserting skewer through one tip of the dog and pushing it about halfway up.
Dip skewered hot dog into glass of batter, slowly twirling it as you pull it out to ensure an even coating of batter.
Place skewered hot dog into oil (the stick can go in the oil). Fry, using tongs to turn corn dogs occasionally, until all sides are a deep golden brown, about 30 to 45 seconds. Two to 3 hot dogs can be fried at a time.
Transfer corn dogs to paper towels to drain.
Makes 10 corn dogs.
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