Pancake & Sausage Corn Dogs
These aren’t nearly as disgusting as they sound, honest.
They went over stupendously well last Tuesday morning at CBC. Seriously, people were near-ecstatic over them. Being Stampede week and all I need to give you an appropriately-themed recipe – I’m sorry if I held out for so long and you’re already over the whole corn dog thing. Even if you never were into the whole corn dog thing, these are worth a try. They’re little breakfast sausages dipped in grainy pancake batter and fried corn-dog style, then served with maple syrup for dipping. I made these once years ago, and we had wee ones in Kelowna last year at a hotel – I wish I could remember which one – they were small, and part of a breakfast buffet. So there you go – a new idea for your next brunch, or any party, really. Breakfast of champions. Also a great way to win friends and influence people.
They started with a pancake recipe. A nice grainy (without being heavy) one with a smattering of cornmeal (but not so much as to make them corn-cakey). The pancakes were great (although I do give you permission to knock down the oil a bit), and substantial enough that they worked perfectly for corn dog purposes, although I did omit the oil (after all, I was going to cook them in oil) and one of the eggs. (Don’t try boxed mix – not that you buy boxed pancake mix, right? – it’s too poufy and wussy, and your sausage will undress itself almost immediately upon hitting the hot oil.) You could make full-sized corn dogs using regular hot dogs, and this same batter would work out just fine. Upon comparing to my old corn dog recipe to this, they aren’t really that different. Turns out you can teach an old corn dog new tricks. Haw! Yes, I am my father’s daughter.
Whole Wheat Cornmeal Pancakes
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup canola oilWhisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl; add buttermilk, eggs, and oil and whisk until smooth. Let stand 5 minutes (batter will thicken). If it’s too thick to pour easily, thin with more buttermilk.
Brush a griddle or skillet with oil or spray with nonstick spray and heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Reduce heat to medium. Working in batches of 4, spoon 2 tablespoons batter per pancake (a heaping large serving spoon works well) onto hot griddle and cook for about a minute, until bubbles appear on surface and pop around the edges, the edges are set, and undersides are golden. Flip pancakes with a thin metal spatula and cook until undersides are golden and pancakes are cooked through, 45 seconds to 1 minute more. (Lower heat if pancakes brown too much before insides are cooked through.) Transfer pancakes to plates and brush griddle with oil between batches; if you like, keep them warm in a 250F oven while you cook the rest. Serve warm. Makes about 10 pancakes.
Pancake Corn Dogs
1 1/2 – 2 dozen small maple pork breakfast sausages
wooden coffee stirrers, popsicle sticks or bamboo skewers
1 batch pancake batter above, omitting the oil and one egg
canola oil, for cookingCook the sausages and let them cool, then stick them on the wooden stirrers. In a wide, medium-large pot, heat a few inches of canola oil until hot but not smoking. Dip each sausage into the batter, holding it by the stick and rolling it around until well coated – dip into the oil and cook, turning as necessary, for a minute or until deep golden. Cook only two or three at a time, without crowding the pot, which could cause corn dog collisions and cause your oil to cool down.
Drain on paper towels and serve immediately, with maple syrup.
July 11 2010 | appetizers and pork | 17 Comments »
