The Girl Who Chased The Moon; Funnel Cake
As they wove their way through the crowded street, they passed numerous barbecue tents, the focus of the festival, after all. Inside the tents, the barbecue sandwiches were made in an assembly line. Sauce, no sauce? Coleslaw on your sandwich? Want hush puppies in a cup with that? The sandwiches could be seen in the hands of every other person on the street, half-wrapped in foil. There were also tents selling pork rinds and boiled corn on the cob, chicken on a stick and brats, fried pickles and fried candy bars, and, of course, funnel cakes.
-The Girl Who Chased The Moon, Sarah Addison Allen
I could relate to fried pickles from the many visits to my Aunt Jo’s drive in, boiled corn on the cob from summertimes at Grandpa’s cottage along the Rideau, and even fried candy bars from my own curiosity in the kitchen (and here I was thinking a candy bar was amazing the way it was). But funnel cake was something completely new to me–so much so that I had to Google to see a picture. I’m sure there’s shock and horror from those readers who know funnel cake was a staple food of summer fairs. Unfortunately I have not had the pleasure of making its acquaintance… until now.
The batter spouts through the funnel, it hits the oil and puffs out like those foamy S-shaped Styrofoam packaging fillers (the type you toss around as a kid, or use in crafts). If there’s one thing I can send you away with (although unhealthy), it’s that gluten free flour does extremely well deep fried. Whether it’s wheat or gluten free flour, you’ll have a plate full of crispy oily carb-y happiness.
The Girl Who Chased The Moon; Funnel Cake
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
You’ll also need
- A deep frying pan with 2 inches of frying oil
- A funnel
Instructions
- Mix together all your ingredients. If the batter is too dry and won’t flow through the funnel, add a bit more milk to moisten the mixture. Heat up the oil in the frying pan. To test whether the pan is ready, drop a tsp. of batter in. If ready, it’ll sizzle the moment it hits the oil.
- It helps if you have the batter in a large two-cup measuring jug with a spout. That way you have the measuring jug in one hand and the funnel in the other. Over the oil, hold the funnel and pour in some batter. Move the funnel around so it creates circles and swirls in the oil with the batter, with all the batter touching each other until you have a circle of swirly batter bubbling away. Let it fry until light golden brown, then use a spatula or tongs to remove. Place on paper towels to soak up some oil. You can add toppings at this point, including icing sugar, cinnamon, jam or hazelnut spread, to name a few.
- Repeat the process until all the batter is used up.
