banana fritters

i couldn't resist buying a box of bananas, but i knew i couldn't make another banana cake or five, so i needed a way to use them up deliciously. banana fritters. my fritter batter of preference is self raising flour mixed with cornflour and soda water - it's crisp and light. i use about equal parts of each flour and enough soda to make a batter similar to cream in consistency. i don't bother flouring the bananas and just dunk them in the batter and gently lower them into hot rice bran oil to deep fry. i have my oil not too hot, but hot enough to make sure the bananas bubble away - about 180 degrees celcius. i like cooking my bananas slowly for a longer length of time so they are nice and soft; you do yours the way you like to have them. if you want a sugar hit, sprinkle with castor or icing sugar!

corn dogs

my earlier post about lemonade, i mentioned corn dogs....well, this is the recipe. i don't make this often, less than once a year, but when we do have it, it's a bit of fun. it's much nicer than battered savs which are frankfurts dipped in regular batter like that use for the fish in fish and chips beacuse the batter isn't as greasy; just make sure your oil is hot so the batter seals and cooks rather than absorbs the oil, which happens when it isn't the right temperature.
an alternative we also like is cheese dipped in the batter instead of the frankfurt. very junky, but the grittiness of the cornmeal is what tempts miss k - ahhhh....less than once a year.....

2 cups plain flour
3/4 cup corn meal
1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 3/4 cups milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
10 regular sized frankfurts, or 20 cocoktail frankfurts
vegetable oil for deep frying

preheat oil 240 degrees celcius.
combine the flour, corn meal, sugar, salt and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl.
combine the milk and egg with the dry ingredients and mix with an electric mixer until batter is smooth.
dry the frankfurts with a paper towel.
when the oil is hot, tilt the bowl of batter so that you can completely coat each frankfurt with the batter.
place the battered frankfurt in the hot oil and cook for 5-6 minutes or until coating is golden brown, turning them so they cook evenly.