Corn-Rhubarb Hush Puppies
/Summary: I have long been a serious hush puppy fan. Growing up, Mom often made a huge batch of basic cornmeal hush puppies for breakfast. I'd happily dunk one after the other in maple syrup until I was stuffed. This is a fun variation on those. Corn and rhubarb play nicely with each other making these sweet and savory. Be sure to get your oil adequately hot before frying, and you'll end up with lighter-than-air treats that you can't stop eating. Prep time is about 15 minutes. Fry the hush puppies until they are golden brown with a crispy exterior.
Yield: 18-20 hush puppies
Ingredients:
- ½ cup diced rhubarb (about 1 medium stalk)
- ½ cup fresh corn kernels
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¾ cups + 3 tablespoons whole grain yellow cornmeal (I use Arrowhead Mills)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard seed
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 egg white, beaten until soft peaks form
- canola oil for frying
- pure maple syrup (I like Grade B) for dipping
Instructions:
In a 4-quart saucepan, pour at least 2" of canola oil and set to heat over high. In a small bowl, toss together the diced rhubarb, corn kernels and sugar. Let sit while you make the rest of the batter.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, salt, soda, baking powder, and ground mustard. Stir in the buttermilk until well combined and then add the rhubarb-corn kernel mixture, again stirring gently until well combined. Gently(!) fold in the soft-peak egg white until incorporated but don't overmix.
When your oil is hot -at least 340°- use a teaspoon to carefully drop small mounds of batter into the pan. Fry until golden (you might want to flip each hush puppy once) and then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve warm with maple syrup!
