Monday, December 30, 2013

Fry, Baby!

 


Every now and then,
Rosie gets a hankerin' for something fried.

Today, it's going to be a treat -
fried onion rings and fried green beans.
And I'll be using my iSi Gourmet Whip!
And I won't be reading the recipe very closely
so I'll end up putting over twice as much flour
in my batter than was called for.
And it still came out terrific!

Truth be known,
it was not my fault, of course.
If only recipe writers would list their ingredients properly.
The flour was listed as 1 3/4 cups.
I didn't see the part in the fine print in the instructions
where it said to whisk 3/4 cup flour into the mix.
The other cup is to dredge the vegetables in.
So, recipe writers, if you're going to divide a quantity,
then write the recipe accordingly:
List 3/4 cup flour and 1 cup flour separately.


As I mixed the batter, I thought it was a tad on the heavy side.
It wasn't until I had the batter in the canister
that I realized my mistake.
As good as the results were,
I can't wait to try this with the proper amounts.
According to the author, the results are some of the
 "laciest, crunchiest onion rings you'll ever taste."


Here's the recipe for the batter,
and notice I have separated the 1 3/4 cups flour.

Siphon-Battered Onion Rings
 by Modernist chef Richard Blais
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup plus 1 TB rice flour
1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup light ale or lager
1/2 cup vodka
1 cup flour, for dredging
oil, for frying
1 onion, sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick,
separated into rings

 Whisk 3/4 cup flour with the rice flour,
salt, and baking soda.
Whisk in the beer and vodka until the batter is very smooth.
Strain the batter, then pour it into the canister
of a 1-pint iSi Gourmet Whip Plus siphon.
Seal the siphon and charge with one nitrous oxide cartridge.
Shake the siphon to distribute the gas.
Repeat with a second cartridge.

Heat oil to 350°.
Dredge onion rings in the flour, shaking off excess.
Transfer rings to a large bowl.
Holding the canister upside-down,
dispense enough batter to coat the rings.
Lift from batter, allowing any excess to drip off,
and, working in batches,
carefully transfer them to the hot oil.
Fry until onion rings are golden brown and puffed,
about three minutes.
Drain on paper towels.
Lightly season with salt.


I've whisked my flour, baking soda, and salt.
Beer going in for a delicious flavor
plus the bubbles lighten the mixture.

Next the vodka.
Alcohol boils off more quickly than water,
enhancing a batter's texture.

Both beer and vodka strategies are used,
their effects amplified by aerating the batter in a siphon.

Just imagine this beautiful foam
with 1 cup less flour!

Always fry in small batches to maintain even temperature.

These were heavenly.

Mr. Hawthorne made the dip:
 1 TB mayonnaise,
 1 TB ketchup
1 tsp yellow mustard
1 tsp Texas Pete
I added a bit of cayenne powder.


I can't wait to try these properly prepared.
They will be exquisite.


A few days later,
I made these again, with the proper amount of flour.



These are divine.










2 comments:

Marilyn said...

Those look good.

And amen, sister! I hate to read the fine print to find out that I need to divide this ingredient five ways to Sunday. Just put it in the recipe that way to begin with and be done with it. That is why I usually end up rewriting the recipes that go in my rotation. They have to make sense for me and be able to be understood at a glance.

Rosie Hawthorne said...

Well, still. Caveat numero uno: Read the recipe through.