Thats right. This artery-clogging, heart-stopping dish is among eight new deep-fried concoctions that will be unveiled to the public at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas later this month. Each year, fair concessionaires try to outdo themselves by dreaming up recipes that could send you racing to your cardiologist if they became regular staples of your diet. The friendly competition has become so intense that fair officials have dubbed the fairgrounds the Fried Food Capital of Texas.
This years fried butter entry is the brainchild of 39-year-old Dallas resident Abel Gonzales Jr., winner of past state fair competitions for his Texas Fried Cookie Dough, Fried Peanut Butter, Jelly and Banana Sandwich and Fried Coke recipes.
(Thats right. Fried Coke.)
To make fried butter, the butter itself needs to have an outer coating, or shell, if you will something that can withstand the bubbling cauldron of the deep fryer.
I mean, butter by itself does not taste good, Gonzales said. Nobody just grabs a stick of butter and eats it. That would be gross.
So heres what Gonzales does: He takes 100 percent pure butter, whips it until it is light and fluffy, freezes it, then surrounds it with dough. The butter-laden dough balls are then dropped into the deep fryer.
For purists who just want the unadulterated taste of butter, Gonzales serves up plain-butter versions of his creation. For others who want a little more pizzazz, he offers three additional versions with flavored butters: garlic, grape or cherry.
When you taste it, it really does taste like a hot roll with butter, said Sue Gooding, spokeswoman for the State Fair of Texas. It tastes great.
Its like a mix between a biscuit or a croissant that is just stuffed to the gills with butter on the inside, Gonzales said. I think thats the best way to describe it.
An order of fried butter will get you three or four pieces of piping-hot dough in a little cardboard boat.
Any more than that and I think it would be a little bit too much, Gonzales said. A little bit too rich.
Pork chips and pecan pies
Other deep-fried creations to be showcased at this years state fair include:
* Green Goblins: Cherry peppers stuffed with spicy shredded chicken and guacamole, battered, deep-fried and topped with queso.
* Twisted Yam on a Stick: A spiral-cut sweet potato, fried on a skewer, then rolled in butter and dusted with cinnamon and sugar.
* Fernies Deep Fried Peaches & Cream: Served with a side of vanilla buttercream icing for dipping.
* Texas Fried Pecan Pie: A mini-pecan pie battered, deep fried and served with caramel sauce, whipping cream and chopped candied pecans.
* Country Fried Pork Chips: Battered, thin-sliced pork loin deep fried and served with sides of ketchup or cream gravy.
* Sweet Jalapeno Corn Dog Shrimp: Shrimp on a stick, coated with a sweet and spicy cornmeal batter, deep fried and served with a spicy glaze.
* Fried Peanut Butter Cup Macaroon: A peanut butter cup wrapped inside a coconut macaroon, fried and then dusted with powdered sugar.
All eight creations will be judged in the categories of Best Taste and Most Creative. Winners will be announced on Labor Day.
