Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Speaking Of Fair Food

The Funnel Cake[1] received passing mention in my last. Have I mentioned I like them so much that when a narrow-spout, stoneware "funnel cake funnel" with recipe card included showed up in a potter's tent at Feast of the Hunter's Moon, it went from the shelf to my rucksack as quickly as payment could change hands?[2] Yep.

While the fast-talking food vendor at your State or County Fair fries these goodies up in a deeeeep and sizzling vat of hot oil (probably lard. Mmmmm, lard), all it really takes is just enough vegetable oil in a skillet to float the batter. I've done it in less than an inch of oil. Perhaps because they cook up so quickly, I can't tell a difference between the lard and vegetable oil versions -- except the latter are still pretty good when cold.

It's too much work to have more than rarely but when it's funnel cake time at home, usually in the darkest days of Winter, yum, what a treat!
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1. The first link's recipe sounds a little thicker than what I'm used to; the second one is more funnel-friendly.
2. A nice extra is that an old-type funnel has got a handle similar to the one on a coffee mug. This is a lot handier than the flimsy tab-thing found on space-age plastic funnels. Literally.

2 comments:

Carteach said...

I didn't know anyone else called it 'Fair Food' but me.

I LOVE funnel cake, especially when they go a tad heavy on the vanilla in the batter like the Amish do.

Try making one, then dipping chunks in honey....... OMG

Roberta X said...

Honey?1?!!! Oooooooooooooo!

Gonna have to try that.