In times of not knowing what you can find in your fridge, freezer, or even store, you have to cook with what you have on hand. These gluten free ham and cheese sticks are the perfect substitute for corn dogs, and actually taste better!
Link You May Need:
Gluten Free Ham & Cheese Corn Sticks
When you have no hot dogs on hand but the craving hits, ham or your favorite deli meat along with Mozzarella sticks, or even plain Mozzarella sticks will do the trick!
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups white rice flour
- 1/2 cup gluten-free cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder (Rumford)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt up to 3/4 teaspoon
- 2 large eggs , at room temperature, beaten
- 1-1/4 cups buttermilk at room temperature, beaten
- 9 Mozzarella sticks
- 9 slices of gluten free ham, slice deli-thin
- Honey mustard sauce (linked above) or GF mustard or ketchup
Instructions
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In a large bowl, whisk together white rice flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add eggs and buttermilk; whisk thoroughly.
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Pour some batter into a tall, narrow jar. (Do not fill to the top, but allow enough room to dip the corn sticks. Refill as needed.) Allow batter to rest for at least 15 minutes. It will thicken slightly. If it becomes too thick, thin with a bit of additional buttermilk. If it is not thick enough, add a little more rice flour and cornmeal. You'll know when it is perfect when a corn dog can stand in the batter.
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Preheat oil to 375°F in a deep-fryer, Dutch oven, or deep pot. (If cooking on the stovetop, without a thermometer, drop a kernel of popcorn into the oil prior to heating. When it reaches 365°F, it will pop. Wait a few minutes and then lower the heat a tiny bit to maintain the temperature.
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Lay a slice of deli ham. Lay a cheese stick at one end and roll it up. Slice the stick in half.
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Insert a skewer into each half, about 1/2-inch from the tip. Dip one at a time into the batter, turning in the direction the ham was rolled, to prevent unrolling, until the stick is coated with batter. (Towards the end of batter, when not much is left, you'll most likely have to dip it, roll, fry for 15 seconds, and dip it in the batter again.) Fry until deep golden brown, about 4 minutes. Any shorter and the cheese won't melt much.
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Serve with honey mustard sauce, gluten free mustard of choice, or ketchup. Store any leftover batter covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days, or until the expiration date of your buttermilk.
Tips
While it is nice to use sturdier sticks such as corn dog sticks, they are short. Long skewers make it safer when deep-frying.
The key to deep frying without absorbing a lot of oil is to add enough salt to the batter.