Next Saturday we are invited to the Karate School Annual Summer Picnic. I want to bring an appetizer since most people are bringing either side dishes or desserts. I thought, since I just returned from the South, that I would make Hush Puppies, as I ate them with everything down there.
I found an excellent recipe in my Foods of the World - American Cooking: Southern Style and I would love to make the recipe. My questions 1) Is it possible to make the batter earlier in the day, refrigerate it, and then remove it about 1 hour beforehand and let it come to room temperature before using it? I am going to fry the hush puppies in my small electric deep fryer to make things easier. Less spillage or oil everywhere. I may not have time to make the batter and then fry them. I may be out for most of the day, come back and then make them, and then go to the picnic. It is 6 pm - 9 pm, ending with local fireworks.
I have time to start frying them about an hour beforehand - it takes awhile for the oil to come to the right temperature and then it will take probably 1/2 hour to make them all. There will be probably about 25-40 families - but not everyone will eat them - there will be quite a few choices for sides such as macaroni salad, rice salad, tabbouleh (looking forward to that one) and cole slaw, probably potato salad.
Anyway, I will most likely make about 30 or more of them. I make pancake batter the night before and then use it the next morning and never have a problem with it so I figured that hush puppy batter wouldn't be too different. 2) How much cornmeal will I need for that many people? I bought a pound of white cornmeal for the occasion. The recipe calls for 1/4 cup of cornmeal to make 16-18 hush puppies.
Any help figuring this out would be appreciated.
RisaG
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Comments: 9
Not sure where you live, but people here eat a lot of hush puppies. I usually plan on about 5-10 per person. That's kind of a big range, but the smaller you make them, the more people will take(sounds counterintuitive, but true.). I personally would triple the recipe(assuming I would eat a ton of them while cooking), but with that many other sides you should be fine with doubling it.
Get a smaller container of spreadable margarine(whatever kind you like, they're all about the same anyway). Do not get a lowfat one, it will screw it up.(plus you're eating hushpuppies, how is the lowfat butter going to help? :) )
Get honey(whatever kind you like). Mix about 2 teaspoons(we use 3-4 depending on how sweet you like it) of honey into the margarine and stir well.
Tip: Take the butter out of the little plastic container before mixing the honey with it and mis the 2 in a larger bowl to save all kinds of clean-up. Dump the honey butter back into the plastic container and you're good to go.
Enjoy your picnic!
What ties do you have to the place?
The recipe calls for 1 cup of cornmeal for 16. I guess I should triple that? I think my package of cornmeal is 1 lb. Is that enough cornmeal? I plan on being fashionably late to the picnic, so about 6:15? So if I start frying at 5:30 (get the oil hot between 5:15 and 5:30) they should be done in time.
Thanks for the help.