Recipes of the Month: Back-to-School Treats
Summer is ending, and school is just around the corner! That means parents and caregivers are back to packing school snacks, lunches, and serving after school snacks when the kids return home. We have a plethora of beloved recipes on-hand and thought we would offer up a little help with some fresh ideas for you to try out that we think the kids will enjoy – one savory and one sweet!
Savory
Mini Sausage Corn Dogs
This batter can be used on any type of quality cooked sausage, such as andouille, Italian, or mini hot links.
Makes 18 to 20 mini sausages or 6 to 8 larger hot dogs.
Tip: You can fry these up ahead of time and drain on paper towels. When you are ready to serve them, pop them in a 350°F oven for 2 to 3 minutes to reheat.
Ingredients & Materials:
- 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons minced jalapeño pepper (optional)
- ¼ cup minced shallots
- 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 10 to 20 cooked mini sausages (3-4 oz each, or 6-8 hot dogs)
- Cornstarch for dusting
- Oil for frying
- Skewers
Directions:
- In a mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cayenne; set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine the cilantro, jalapeño, shallots, garlic, and buttermilk.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and whisk until well combined. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes before frying.
- Skewer each cooked sausage with a 4-inch skewer.
- Fill a deep fryer or pot with oil and heat the oil to 350°F (we recommend using a candy thermometer).
- Dust each sausage with a little cornstarch before dipping (this helps the batter to stick to the sausage and not fall off in the hot oil).
- Dip sausages into the batter and gently place in fryer, one at a time; fry until golden brown.
- Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Serve warm.
Sweet
Cherry Pop Tarts
This idea came from Pastry Chef Sue McCown, who Lisa worked with at an event many moons ago. Lisa played in the pastry shop and created a Northwest cherry version. We hope your young ones enjoy it!
Ingredients (makes 12 pop tarts):
Pop Tart Crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups pastry flour
- 1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 6 tablespoons buttermilk
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Cherry Filling:
- 2 ½ cups dried dark sweet cherries
- ¾ cup water
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1½ tablespoons flour
Egg Wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Additional:
- sugar, for dusting pies
- ice cream (optional)
Directions:
To make the pop tart crust…
- Sift together the all-purpose flour, pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a standing kitchen mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth at medium speed.
- Add the egg and continue to mix just until incorporated.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again.
- Mix the buttermilk and vanilla together.
- Slowly add half of the sifted dry ingredients and lemon zest to the creamed butter-sugar mixture, then slowly add the buttermilk and vanilla, and then the rest of the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.
- Turn the dough out, wrap in plastic, and chill for 1 hour.
To make the cherry filling…
- Heat the cherries, water, brown sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon, and flour in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir to combine, and simmer for 10 minutes, or just until thickened.
- Pulse the filling in a food processor until cherries resemble a chunky jam.
- Let cool before filling the pop tarts.
To make the egg wash…
- Beat the egg and the water together; set aside.
To make the pop tarts…
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Remove dough from refrigerator.
- Roll out the dough to about ⅛ inch thick on a lightly floured board.
- Cut the dough into 24 rectangles, about 3 inches by 5 inches; you may want to use a pizza wheel or pastry crimper.
- Each pop tart will have a top and a bottom. With a sharp knife, cut 3 little angled slits in the middle of each top piece.
- Spoon 1½ to 2 tablespoons of the cherry filling into the center of each bottom piece of dough, leaving a clean “frame” around the filling for sealing the edges of the tart.
- Brush some of the egg wash along the outer edges of the dough and place the tops (the pieces with 3 slits down the middle) gently over the filling, lining up the 4 edges.
- Press the edges to seal, being careful to keep the edges clean and lined up.
- Place pop tarts on prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and pop them into the freezer for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 340°F.
- Just before baking, lightly brush the remaining egg wash on the tops and sprinkle each one with sugar.
- Bake pop tarts until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
- Cool to room temperature, then serve with ice cream (optional).
How did it go? Did the kids eat it all up? 😛 We’d love to hear from you! Here’s how you can share with us and tag us if posting on social media:
If you’d like more delicious recipes from Chef Lisa Dupar’s cookbook, Fried Chicken & Champagne, you can purchase it in person at Lisa’s restaurant, Pomegranate Bistro, or order online.
