(recipe) Gluten-Free Corn Dogs

As you know, the Fourth of July falls on a Wednesday this year. Thanks to my husband's crazy-busy work schedule, we're not doing anything special this year. I'm not even sure if we'll grill. (Although he loves to grill; so that might happen.) I was thinking about something fun to make and thought, "Hmm...maybe I'll make corn dogs."

Corn Dogs are something that I only eat--maybe--once a year. If I do decide to make 'em, this is the recipe I'm using!

Dry the dogs. Before coating the hot dogs, dry them. It doesn't matter if you use natural casing dogs or gluten-free veggie dogs, they need to be dry. Remove them from the refrigerator, allow them to come to room temperature and then roll them in a towel to dry. Remember to dry the ends.

Coat them in flour. While researching how to make corn dogs at home, I noticed one compliant coming up again and again: the batter slides off the dog. To keep the batter on the hot dogs, roll them in white rice flour before coating with the cornmeal batter. Again, remember to coat the ends.

Use a tall glass. Evenly coating the corn dogs with batter can be the toughest part of making corn dogs. To make it easy, fill a tall drinking glass with batter and dip the dogs, one at a time, in the cup.

Work quickly. While the white rice flour helps the batter to adhere to the hot dog, some batter still drips off the dog after coating. Set your batter-filled drinking class next to your deep fryer or heavy-bottomed pot. Dip the dog in batter, taking care to cover the end of the dog that meets the stick. Lift the dog out of the batter, allow it to "drip" for a second, swirling or shaking it lightly and place it right into the deep fryer. Remember, don't drop the corn dog into the fryer. Lay it in the fryer gently, tip first. This helps to prevent splattering.

Wrap the stick after frying. When I fried my first corn dog, I got excited! It was so pretty and corn dog-y. After allowing it to drain for a second or two on a paper towel-lined plate, I picked it up. And...I dropped it down. That stick was HOT. Before serving, wrap the stick in a paper-towel.

That's it! A little practice makes perfect. But, happily, the not-so-pretty corn dogs are perfectly delicious!

This recipe first appeared on SeriousEats.com as part of my Gluten-Free Tuesday column.

Ingredient Note: Not all hot dogs are gluten-free, be sure to read labels, as always, before selecting your hot dogs.

In small bowl, whisk together gluten-free cornflour, 3.75 ounces white rice flour, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum. Add milk, eggs, vegetable oil, and honey. Mix together until smooth. Allow batter to stand for ten minutes.

Place about 1/2 cup white rice flour on a medium plate. Dry hot dogs, including ends, and slide sticks into hot dogs. You want to slide sticks about halfway into the hot dog. Roll hot dogs, one at a time, in white rice flour. Place hot dogs on dry plate. Set aside

Heat oil to 375°F. Line a plate or baking pan with a few paper towels. Place near the fryer. (Be sure plate is a safe distance from the fryer.)

Select a glass that's tall enough to dip the entire hot dog into. Pour batter into drinking glass. Dip hot dogs, one at a time, into glass. Lift hot dog from batter and swirl lightly. Quickly transfer coated hot dog into the hot oil, gently placing the hot dog into the oil. Fry one or two corn dogs at a time. After about one minute of frying, gently "roll" the corn dog in the oil using a pair of metal tongs. (Often they roll themselves.) Remove corn dogs from oil. Drain on paper towel lined plate and serve. If stick is still hot, wrap in a paper towel before serving.
Makes 8 corn dogs