Jan 20 2012

Baked Hushpuppies

Posted by Natalie | Perry's Plate in Baking, Step-by-Step Recipes

Have you ever had a hushpuppy? A true hushpuppy is a cornmeal-based dough that’s fried into little balls. Sometimes onions and peppers are added, but that’s basically it. Hushpuppies have very strong ties to the American South, like fried dill pickles and fried okra (two more of my favorite fried goodies) and are commonly served as a side dish at seafood restaurants.

Oh, and they’re deliciously addictive. I head straight for these when the competitive BBQ tents go up here in Reno, Nevada. Sorry ribs, I’ll catch you later.

Tasty Kitchen member beachbumwannabe (aren’t we all??) submitted this grease-free version, and I was dying to try it. Baked Hushpuppies are pretty good. They’re not identical to the fried version, but they’re a great, lighter alternative. Plus, they’re a great little dipper for soups and chilis. Or a finger food at a party buffet.

If you happen to be a hushpuppy purist and red flags are going off all over the place, just think of these as mini corn muffins. Ah, better?

First, gather your ingredients. You’ll need cornmeal, flour, an egg, baking powder, salt, cooking oil, milk, an egg, green onions, peppers, and honey.

Grab a medium-sized mixing bowl and toss in the cornmeal and flour. For mine, I used whole wheat pastry flour to add some whole grains. It’s a great replacement for all-purpose flour in things like this because you can’t tell the difference.

Add the baking powder.

And the salt.

Give it a good whisk.

Grab another smaller bowl. Crack the egg into it and shake it up a bit with a fork.

To this, add the oil. I used grapeseed.

And add the milk.

Next, chop the green onion and peppers. The recipe suggested a combination of red bell pepper and jalapeno. I used them, too. I also de-flamed my jalapenos because I have small children, but if you want more heat in these, leave a few seeds in the mix.

Add the green onion to the egg mixture.

You’ll only need about 1/3 cup of chopped peppers, so combine them how you like into a measuring cup. Save the rest for an omelet. Or a frittata.

Add those to the wet mixture, and stir it well.

Add the entire egg mixture to the cornmeal mixture. Give it a whisk, but just until it’s moistened.

Know what? A whisk wasn’t such a great idea. Use a rubber spatula instead.

If you’ve got a mini muffin pan, good for you! Add a tablespoon of dough to each cup. If you’re using a regular muffin pan, add 2-3 tablespoons per cup.

My pan has 24 cups, but I only had enough dough for 21. If you have extra cups, fill them halfway with water. It helps to distribute the heat more evenly on that end of the pan. You wouldn’t want any scorched hushpuppies now.

Bake them for about 8-10 minutes (longer for a regular muffin tin) or until they’re firm and a little golden brown on the sides. Pretty, aren’t they? They’re about to get better, though …

Oh yes. Drizzle honey over the warm hushpuppies. Then pop one in your mouth. (Or five. Don’t judge, I’m pregnant.)

Thank you so much, beachbumwannabe!

Notes:
1. I omitted the sugar in the recipe because I like my cornbread on the savory side, but for these, I think I would add a tablespoon next time.
2. I live in Nevada, and I think because of the dry air, my dough turned out drier than it should have. Add a little more milk if you think your dough may be too dry as well.

Printable Recipe

Baked Hushpuppies

by beachbumwannabe on October 3, 2009 in Appetizers, Snacks

4.75 Mitt(s) 4 Rating(s) 4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5

Description

Another great recipe from Grandma Blacknall’s recipe box: baked hushpuppies!

Making a pot of chili for game day? These baked hushpuppies are a great addition to your menu! You can also just add these to a finger food buffet. Everyone will love them!

Ingredients

½ cups Cornmeal
½ cups Flour
1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
½ teaspoons Salt
3 Tablespoons Sugar
1 whole Egg, Beaten
6 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Red Pepper & Jalapeno
¼ cups Chopped Green Onion
⅓ cups Skim Milk
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
24 teaspoons Honey

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 425F.

Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a bowl.

Beat egg in a separate bowl.

Finely chop red pepper, jalapeno, and green onions.

Combine all ingredients and stir until moistened.

Spoon about 1 tablespoonful into greased muffin pans. I used a mini muffin pan to make them more finger friendly. Plus, I just love mini anything!

Bake at 425F for 15 to 20 minutes for regular muffin pans and about 8 to 12 minutes for mini muffin pans.

Although I added more sugar than Grandma Blacknall’s recipe called for, I still thought they needed something sweet. So I after I pulled them out of the oven, I spooned a little bit of honey over the top of each hushpuppy while they were cooling in the muffin pans. This was the perfect touch in my opinion, but experiment and find what’s perfect for your family! I also added in the jalapenos to give it a touch of spiciness. I didn’t really notice it too much, but you could leave it out if needed!

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Be sure to check out Natalie’s own beautiful food blog, Perrys’ Plate, where you can see her growing collection of lovely recipes. There’s always something new to see there. Go visit now!

Oct 31 2011

Gluten-Free Apple, Ginger and Spice Scones

Posted by Natalie | Perry's Plate in Baking, Step-by-Step Recipes

As far as gluten-free baked goods go, these are seriously the bomb. We’re not an entirely gluten-free household, but occasionally I like to play with almond meal in baked goods. I love the rich, nutty (but not too nutty) flavor it imparts. And you can’t beat the nutritional benefits of almonds. These Gluten-Free Apple, Ginger and Spice Scones, submitted by Jenni Hulet have become a favorite of my family.

Eating one (or four) of these scones is like eating a hearty, moist apple cookie for breakfast. *Swoon*

No mysterious ingredients here. You’ll need 3 cups of almond meal/ground almonds (I’ll show you how to make some in a second. Ridiculously easy.), a nice tart apple, an egg, fresh ginger, apple cider vinegar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

You can find almond meal in health food stores, some well-stocked grocery stores, and always at Trader Joe’s, but if it’s too much trouble to track down you can make your own if you’ve got a food processor. To make three cups of almond meal you’ll need a little over two cups of almonds. For best flavor results in baking, make sure you use raw, unsalted almonds. Buzz them up in your food processor for a minute or two or until no large chunks remain. The mixture may start to stick to the sides. Scrape the sides with a rubber spatula and continue to pulse until you reach the correct consistency.

The almond meal should look like this. If you let it run too long, you’ll end up with almond butter. Tasty, but not what we’re looking for here.

If I were you, I’d dump the almond meal out into a bowl and measure out three cups back into the food processor, just to be sure I had the right amount. Then add the sugar. I used raw turbinado sugar, but you can use any type you want. Run the processor for a few seconds until everything is blended well.

Transfer the mixture into a medium-sized bowl and add the baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

Also add the nutmeg. I’m a big fan of using freshly grated nutmeg (easiest with a Microplane-type grater). I always look at the part I grated. It kind of reminds me of brains.

Give it a stir. Chop the apple and add one cup of the cubes. You might not want to add much more than that or the scones will have trouble staying together.

Mix them well so all the apples are coated.

Now for the wet stuff. Prep the ginger by peeling it and grating some into a small bowl.

There are lots of ways to grate ginger, using the back of a spoon and such, but the easiest and fastest way I’ve found is to simply cut it off. Slice as close to the skin as you can, then rotate the knob, slice again, rotate, slice … get my drift?

Add the egg and the vinegar to the bowl and beat with a fork. Add the wet mixture to the almond-apple mixture and mix well.

It may seem, at first, that there’s not enough moisture for the dough to hold together, but keep mixing. It’ll come together. I promise.

Divide the dough into two balls. Then flatten each ball into a 1/2-inch thick circle and cut into eight segments.

I really, really love my dough cutter. It’s great for cutting dough (of course).

It’s also great for scooping up pieces of dough, and even scraping your countertops clean after you’ve been working with dough and flour. I love you, dough cutter.

Transfer the scones to parchment-lined stack of baking sheets. Jenni recommended doubling your baking sheets to prevent the bottoms from burning. Nuts tend to burn easily, so this was a great tip.

Bake them for 10-12 minutes or until they just barely start to brown. I wouldn’t bake them longer than that or they’ll be dry.

Jenni suggested a drizzle of white chocolate, but we opted for some homemade pear butter. The scones are plenty sweet on their own, more than I thought they’d be with so little sugar. Heck, they’re great with just a smear of regular butter!

You’ll love these apple-pie-like scones, even if you aren’t on a gluten-free diet. My husband and I and our two small children at the entire batch in one sitting. (Yes, er … all sixteen of them. In our defense, they’re small scones!)

They really are fantastic!

Be sure to visit Jenni’s TK recipe box and her blog The Urban Poser for more natural food recipes!

Printable Recipe