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Charlotte Cooks

Funnel Cake Three Ways

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Charlotte Cooks Recipes

From Charlotte Cooks: Funnel Cake Three Ways


Shrimp and Grits - Bacon Brown Butter

Ingredients

  • Shrimp 21-25 1 lb
  • Grits, dry ½ cup
  • Funnel cake mix* 2 cups
  • Oil 2 quarts
  • Butter ½ lb
  • Bacon, small dice ½ lb
  • Chives 1 Tlb

Method

Take the dry grits and grind them in a coffee grinder until they are a fine powder. Combine the grit powder and all of the dry ingredients of the funnel cake mix. Dredge each shrimp in this mixture and set in freezer until ready to fry.For the brown butter, take the bacon and cook in a skillet until golden brown. Remove the baconbits and add butter to the pan until it melt and begins to brown slightly. Remove the butter from the heat add back the bacon and finish with the chives.Preheat the oil to 350° in a heavy bottom pot. Fry the shrimp to golden brown a couple at a time, making sure not to drop the temperature of the oil below 325°. Remove the shrimp from the oil and serve with the brown butter.


Chicken & Funnel Cake Chile Honeyed “Gravy”

Ingredients


Brine
  • Water 1 quart
  • Italian seasoning ½ cup
  • Ranch seasoning ½ cup
  • Chicken tenders 1 dozen

Combine the water with the seasonings and mix until seasonings are dissolved. Add chicken tenders and brine for a minimum of 12 hrs.

Tempura mix
  • Flour, AP 1 cup
  • Baking powder 2 tsp
  • Baking soda ½ tsp
  • Soda, club ½ cup

Combine all ingredients.
  • Flour, AP 1 cup
  • Panko bread crumbs 1 cup
  • Italian seasoning ¼ cup
  • Ranch seasoning ¼ cup

Combine all ingredients.
  • Oil 2 quarts

Set up a breading station with the drained brined chicken tenders, tempura mix, and panko mixture.
Bread the tenders in this order.

Preheat the oil to 350° in a heavy bottom pot. Fry the tenders a couple at a time, making sure not to drop the temperature of the oil below 325°. Remove them when the internal temperature of them is 165°.
  • Funnel cake mix* full recipe
  • Parsley fresh, chopped 1 tlb
  • Thyme fresh, chopped 1 tlb
  • Tarragon fresh, chopped 1 tlb

Prepare funnel cake recipe with the addition of the fresh chopped herbs.
  • Chilies fresh, cut into circles 6 oz
  • Honey ½ cup
  • Chicken gravy, prepared 2 cups
  • Cilantro fresh, chopped 2 tlb

Sauté chilies, add honey and gravy, bring to a simmer, remove from heat and garnish with cilantro.
Plate with funnel cake on the plate first, top with three chicken tenders and finish with 4 oz of Chili honeyed “gravy.”


Tri Berry White Chocolate Dumplings

  • Blue berries ¼ cup
  • Strawberries ¼ cup
  • Raspberries ¼ cup
  • Vanilla bean ¼ tsp
  • Funnel cake mix* full recipe
  • White chocolate 1 cup
  • Corn syrup ¼ cup

Melt the chocolate and corn syrup until well combined and set aside.
To the funnel cake mix add the berries and vanilla bean
Preheat the oil to 375° in a heavy bottom pot. Using a small ice cream scoop, fry the dumplings a couple at a time, making sure not to drop the temperature of the oil below 350°. Remove the dumplings and drizzle them with the chocolate sauce.


*Funnel Cake Mix

  • Bread flour 1 cup
  • Pastry flour 1 cup
  • Baking powder 1 Tlb
  • Powdered sugar ½ cup
  • Cinnamon 1 tsp
  • Vanilla, extract 1 tsp
  • Milk ¾ cup
  • Oil 1 qrt

Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk to combine, making sure to leave tiny lumps, just like with pancake batter. Allow the batter to rest for about 10 minutes. While the batter is resting, pour about 1 inch of oil into a large, heavy bottom skillet. Preheat the oil to 375° in a heavy bottom pot, making sure not to drop the temperature of the oil below 350°. You can test it by dropping a small amount of batter into the oil. It should sizzle slightly and float quickly.

Pour the batter into oil in a zig-zag pattern. Make sure you don't completely fill the skillet with batter! I like to zig-zag in one direction all the way across and then do a couple of strips back across the other way to hold the funnel cake together.

Allow the funnel cake to cook for about 1 minute. The funnel cake should have popped bubbles on the upper surface, like a pancake, and be able to hold together without spreading.

Once the under side of the first funnel cake is golden brown, flip it and cook until the second side is golden brown, about one minute more.
Place finished funnel cakes on paper towels to drain. Continue making small funnel cakes until all the batter is used.