DEEP FRIED BUTTER BALLS

These balls of hot seasoned garlic butter are awesome, the crispy shell gives way to a burst of intense creamy buttery flavour, these are a once a year treat and well worth the wait.  I saw these on the food network program at the Texas State fair and though while I’m in the states I am going to have to make these, they went down really well and everyone loved them.

Ingredients 

(Makes 16)

4 sticks butter softened

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp crushed red chillies 

1 box fish fry coating

2 eggs beaten

1 cup seasoned flour

1 ltr peanut oil for frying

Mix the garlic, chillies into the butter, using two teaspoons, form the butter mix in to small one mouthful bite size balls, place on a tray and pop in the freezer for a hour.  Set up your dredging station with three bowls, one with the eggs, one with the flour and one with the fry coating.  

Take the butter balls from the freezer once frozen and roll in the flour, then the egg and lastly the fish fry coating, place the balls back on the tray and back in to the freezer.  Once the coating has frozen the balls are ready to fry. 

Heat your peanut oil to 350 F / 180 C and fry the balls for approx 30 seconds, as soon as you get a little spatter of butter breaking out of the crispy shell remove the balls and place on kitchen paper.  Eat with caution as hot butter can burn.

CATFISH FRY CAJUN TACOS

Melt in the mouth tender succulent Cajun coated catfish served in a white soft corn taco with all the fixings.  No noodling required for this catfish fry!  

Ingredients 

(makes 4)

4 white raw corn tacos

1 catfish fillet

1 box Cajun seasoned fish fry coating

1 ltr peanut oil for frying

1 tomato finely diced

1 fresh jalapeño finely diced

1/4 green pepper diced

2 tbsp chopped coriander 

AMERICAN BLUEBERRY PIE

RUSTIC

I made this for my friend Troy, he lives in Australia and was over visiting and I asked what pie he would like thinking chicken and mushroom or steak, but No he wanted blue berry pie and we Troy returns later this year he has put a forward order in for chocolate eclairs! 

Ingredients 

(makes two pies)

The Pastry

450g plain flour

110g grated lard

110g grated butter

1 pinch of Himalayan sea salt 

180ml cold water

The Pie Filling

300g blueberries

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla paste

Make the Pastry first as this will need to chill in the fridge for half an hour.  Place all the ingredients except the water in a large bowl and gently mix evenly, add the water and bring to a ball, wrap in cling film, press the ball flatter in to a disk and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Place the sugar, vanilla and blueberries in a saucepan over a low medium heat and cook until they resemble blueberry jam, remove from the pan and leave to cool.

Cut the pastry in half and one half can be frozen for your next batch.  Cut the remaining half in half again and shap into balls, roll out to the thickness of a pound coin.  Line the pie tin with the pastry, and trim off any excess, I like to crimp the top edges of the pastry for that rustic farmhouse look.  Line the inside of the pastry with baking paper and baking beans, 

Pre heat your oven 180 degrees C and bake for 15 minutes, remove the baking beans and parchment paper and bake for a further 5 minutes, add the pie filling and finish of baking for a further 10 minutes, serve warm with cream.