Everyone’s inner child emerges when these “corndogs” come out of the fryer. Who doesn’t love eating from a skewer? But unlike the popular corndogs that star at America’s state fairs, this whimsical hors d’oeuvre hides a juicy whole shrimp under its cornbread coat. Steven Oakley, a 2005 Workshop alumnus, serves the skewers with homemade honey mustard for dipping. On another occasion, you could use the cornmeal batter for pancakes.

　　

Ingredients

serves 8

　　1/3 cup Dijon mustard

　　1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon honey

　　

Cornmeal Batter

2 cups all-purpose flour

　　1 cup plus 2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal

　　2 tablespoons sugar

　　1 tablespoon baking powder

　　1 teaspoon kosher salt

　　2 cups whole milk, or more as needed

　　1 large egg

　　1 large egg yolk

　　Vegetable oil for deep-frying

　　16 large shrimp (16–20 count), peeled and deveined

　　16 (6-inch) bamboo skewers

　　

Step 1

In a small bowl, stir together the mustard and honey. Set aside.

　　

Step 2

For the cornmeal batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and egg yolk. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk to blend. Thin the batter with a little more milk if batter is too stiff for coating the shrimp.

　　

Step 3

Heat 3 inches of vegetable oil in a deep pot to 375°F. Adjust the heat to maintain the temperature.

　　

Step 4

Using 1 skewer per shrimp, skewer each shrimp from tail to head end so that the shrimp is straight. Working in batches, dip the shrimp in batter to coat thoroughly, then place the whole skewer in the hot oil and fry until the cornmeal coating is golden brown, about 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Serve hot with a ramekin of honey mustard.

　　

Step 5

Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Chardonnay or another full-bodied white wine.

　　The Cakebread Cellars American Harvest Cookbook