Buffalo Shrimp and Tar Heel Hush Puppies

 

 

“If your family loves buffalo chicken, try making this spicy Buffalo Shrimp. Fred Thompson, a Tenda-Bake Corn Meal fan and author of Big Book of Fish and Shellfish, shared his recipe and suggested serving it with bleu cheese dressing, celery sticks and Tar Heel Hush Puppies.” ~ By Tendabake

Ingredients:
• 2 pounds 40 count shrimp (peeled and deveined)
• 1 bottle Texas Pete Buffalo Wing sauce
• 2-3 cups Tenda-Bake Corn Meal
• 1/8 inch deep oil
• to taste salt

Cooking Instructions:
Place the shrimp in a zip-closure bag (or similar bag) and pour the Texas Pete sauce over the shrimp. Place in the refrigerator, and marinate for 20-30 minutes.

Place the cracker crumbs in a pie plate. In a deep fat fryer or high-sided heavy pot heat the peanut oil to 375 degrees. Remove the shrimp from the refrigerator and drain the sauce. Discard the sauce.

 

Toss a few shrimp at a time in the cracker meal until well coated. Add to the fryer and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until a light golden brown. Drain on paper towels or brown paper bags. Serve with bleu cheese dressing, celery sticks and Tar Heel Hush Puppies (see recipe below).

 

 

Tar Heel Puppies

 

 

Ingredients:
• 2 cups Tenda-Bake Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup buttermilk or milk *
• As Needed Vegetable or peanut oil

Cooking Instructions:
Heat deep fat fryer to 375°F or use a Dutch oven. Add enough vegetable or peanut oil to cover the hush puppies, but no more than half full.

Combine the corn meal mix, egg, onion and milk. Drop by tablespoonfuls into hot oil.

Hush puppies will rise to the top and may be turned once for even browning. When golden brown, move hush puppies to paper towels to drain.

* More or less milk may be needed to achieve desired consistency.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:Ingredients:
• 2 cups Tenda-Bake Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup buttermilk or milk *
• As Needed Vegetable or peanut oil

• 2 cups Tenda-Bake Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup buttermilk or milk *
• As Needed Vegetable or peanut oil

The Best Super Bowl Hot Wings Are Baked Not Fried

We shared our Crispy Hot Wings with friends, and they agreed, these are the best spicywings they had ever had! High praise from these wings fans!
For this crowd-pleasing snack, we didn’t run out to a fast food outlet, restaurant, or thefreezer case. Our hot wings are baked fresh at home. Note they are baked, not fried.
First the wings are marinated in buttermilk, the secret to tender chicken. Then they arecoated with Tenda-Bake Seasoned Flour Coating Mix and Tenda-Bake Cornmeal withCajun seasoning. After a quick run in the oven until golden brown, they have a nicespicy flavorful crunch. Then they are simply dipped in a Hot Wing Sauce. They staycrisp and have a nice flavor all the way through. They are even crisp cold so if yourcrowd is busy watching the game, you don’t have to worry about them sitting for a bit.
Don’t forget the blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.

Crispy Hot Wings

Buttermilk Marinade

24 chicken wings, cut in drumettes

2 cups buttermilk

3 tablespoons hot sauce

Crisp Breader

1 cup Tenda-Bake Seasoned Flour and Coating Mix

¼ cup Tenda-Bake White Cornmeal

¼ cup Cajun Spice Mix

Hot Wing Sauce

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup hot sauce

To marinate: Combine buttermilk and hot sauce.  Add chicken wings and refrigerate 4 to5 hours or overnight.

To prepare wings: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil or coatwith nonstick cooking spray. Place a rack over the baking sheet.
Combine seasoned flour and coating mix, white cornmeal, and Cajun spice mix in alarge bowl. Drain the marinade from the wings and toss the wings in the seasonedflour mixture to coat. Allow wings to sit for 10 minutes. Place on rack and bake for 30minutes or until chicken juices no longer run pink.

To make sauce: Combine butter, crushed garlic and hot sauce in medium saucepan. Heatover medium head for 10 minutes to combine the flavors. Dip the cooked wings into thesauce to top. Drain wings and serve.
Makes 24 drumettes.

Grilled Pizza

When I first tried a wood fired pizza with a thin crisp crust, it prompted me to finally want to make pizza at home. Pizza in the oven is one thing, but when I tried cooking pizza on the grill, a whole new pizza experience opened.  This pizza is good enough for company, and only takes minutes to cook.

For the toppings, we used fresh summer tomatoes.  This summer, we are growing a variety of heirlooms from deep purples, stripes, to orange.  With an abundant harvest offering a variety of flavors from sweet to acidic, we made a fresh tomato and mozzarella cheese pizza and shared this summer fresh tomato version with neighbors as an appetizer.

This dough is easy to make and can be made a day ahead and refrigerated.  Simply shape and let stand about 20 minutes before baking.

Ingredients:

1 package active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water (105 to 115°F)
3 1/4 cups Southern Biscuit® All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Tenda-Bake® Corn Meal

Toppings
Are your choice.  We selected both smoked and fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and thyme, olive oil.  Try pesto, or use traditional toppings as you please.

Dissolve yeast in warm water; set aside.

Combine flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl.  Add yeast mixture and stir well.  Add olive oil and stir.  Work folding the dough with your hands or use an electric mixer with a dough hook for about 5 minutes or until a smooth dough forms. Shape into a ball.

Coat a large bowl with a thin layer of olive oil.  Place dough in bowl and turn to coat.   Cover with a clean, damp lint-free towel and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.  Press out all of the air bubbles.

Lightly dust a surface with corn meal.  Roll or press dough into two 12-inch rounds.  Let rise while preparing toppings.

Preheat grill on high heat.  Place dough directly on grates.  Close grill cover and bake for about 5 minutes or until the grill marks are browned.  Turn with tongs and top as desired.

Close lid and bake until cheese melts.  Remove with tongs.

Serves about 8.

Picnic Favorite – Buttermilk Fried Chicken Recipe

The perfect escape, time with family, tossing Frisbees, a game of touch football, playing in a mountain stream, enjoying a pretty day outside, that is what picnics are all about. (A chance to turn off the phones, computers, and get away from the television.)  A picnic is a day for the family to spend together.

Most of us want to bring something special to eat, since we are sharing a special day.  My favorite is fried chicken, delicious cold.  I always make the chicken at home, let it cool overnight in the refrigerator and then store the cooled chicken in a cooler with frozen gel packs to keep the temperature below 40 degrees.

The best recipe is one with a crisp coating, even when served cold.  There are many chicken recipes, but one that is a little different is this recipe adapted from Thomas Keller, the famed Napa Valley chef of The French Laundry.  In his new cookbook, Ad Hoc at Home, he offers simple recipes that are easily made at home.

Using a brine always keeps chicken moist, again another secret to good chicken either served hot or cold.  Keller’s brine is lemony, and I like the added flavor.  If you are a purist go with simple salt and water or perhaps with a bit of sugar.

Brine

5 lemons, halved

24 bay leaves

1 bunch (4 ounces) flat-leaf parsley

1 bunch (1 ounce) thyme

½ cup clover honey

1 head garlic, halved

¼ cup black peppercorns

2 cups kosher salt

2 gallons water

Combine all in a large pot, cover, and bring to a boil.  Boil for 1 minute, stirring.  Remove from heat, cool completely, then chill before using. Can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Two 2 ½ to 3 pound bone-in chickens, cut up

Peanut or canola oil for frying

1 quart buttermilk

Kosher salt and black pepper

Coating

6 cups Southern Biscuit All-Purpose Flour

¼ cup garlic powder

¼ cup onion powder

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon paprika

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cayenne

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Ground fleur de sel or fine sea salt

Brine chicken and refrigerate for 12 hours.  (No longer or chicken may become too salty.)  Remove chicken (discard brine), and rinse under cold water.  Let rest at room temperature for  1 ½ hours to come to room temperature.

If you have two large pots (about 6 inches deep) and a lot of oil, you can cook the dark and the white meat at the same time.  If not, cook the dark meat then the white meat.  The oil should not come more than 1/3 of the way up the sides of the pot.  Fill the pot with at least 2-inches of oil and heat to 320 degrees.

Combine the coating ingredients in a large bowl.  Transfer half to a second bowl.  In a third bowl, pour the buttermilk and season with salt and pepper.  Set up a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Just before frying, dip the chicken thighs into the first bowl, turning to coat and patting off excess, dip in buttermilk, allowing the excess to run back into the bowl; then dip them into the second bowl of coating.  Transfer to the baking sheet.

Carefully lower the thighs into the hot oil.  Adjust the heat to maintain the temperature.  Fry for 2 minutes, then carefully more the pieces around in the oil.  Turn as needed.  Cook for 11 to 12 minutes or until cooked through and very crisp and brown.  Meanwhile, coat the drumsticks.

Transfer the thighs to a cooling rack skin side up.  Sprinkle with salt.

Make sure the temperature of the oil is up and cook the drumsticks. Sprinkle with salt. Lean them against the thighs to drain.

Turn up the heat to 340 degrees.  Coat the chicken breasts and wings.  Fry breasts for 7 minutes and wings for 6 minutes or until cooked through, and very crisp and brown.  Transfer to the rack. Sprinkle with salt.

Let cool to room temperature.  Wrap with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator.  Move to cooler only after the chicken has chilled to below 40 degrees.

Super Bowl Snacks

Even if you aren’t a football fan, Super Bowl parties are fun.   Our friends gather ‘round the TV and some want to watch the game while others are looking for the half-time show and commercials.  One thing there is plenty of…snack food.  Hearty and spicy snacks need last at least through half-time show, when our party starts to die down.

We, of course, do the snacks up southern-style.  I make mini-corn cakes just a bit larger than the size of a cracker ahead of time.  Then just before the game, I top them with spicy cheese and meats.  They hold up to just about any topping.  I buy cooked barbecue, shrimp, pimento cheese, sliced roast beef, and guacamole.

Start with the new Tenda-Bake Buttermilk Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix.  It contains real buttermilk so that you don’t have to keep it on hand to have perfect buttermilk flavor to your cornbread.

Double Corn Cakes

2 cups Tenda-Bake Buttermilk Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix

½ cup sour cream

1 ( ounce) can creamed corn

2 eggs

¼ cup milk

Preheat a griddle or skillet over medium heat.  I add a bit of butter (about a teaspoon) combined with an equal amount of peanut oil so that the butter doesn’t burn, but I get the added flavor.  I add additional oil and butter between batches.  If you want to make them without oil, that works as long as you are using a non-stick surface.

Measure the corn meal in a large bowl.  Combine the sour cream, creamed corn, eggs and milk.  Pour the sour cream mixture into the corn meal and stir just until blended.

Measure about a tablespoon of batter for each corn cake into the preheated skillet.  If you have one, a cookie scoop works well for measuring the batter.  Cook for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Remove and drain on paper towels.  Cool completely and store in plastic bags.  You can make these the day before.  Makes about 3 dozen corn cakes, according to how large you want the cake.

I buy all of my toppings rather than making them.  Some we like includes:

Pimento Cheese with a Pickled Pepper Ring

Pulled Pork with Barbecue Sauce

Shrimp with Remoulade Sauce

Sliced Roast Beef with Sweet and Sour Sauce and Spicy Mustard

Guacamole with a Tomato

Cheese and Pepper Jelly, Pepper Jack Cheese melted over the top

Caramelized Onions

Simply top each corn cake and serve.  Make plenty because these will go fast! They leave you plenty of time to enjoy the game and are The Essence of Southern Baking.

~Belinda Ellis of Edible Pedimont