Whip It Up Week 2 - Guilty Pleasures

This week's Whip It Up theme is Guilty Pleasures. Man, is that a wide open category or what?

My weakness lately is anything deep fried. I'm trying to be calorie-conscious so I fit into my wedding dress, but sometimes you've just got to splurge a little.

When I went to my brother's house in Tennessee last weekend, we popped into a local tavern for some shuffleboard and a few beers. When I saw that they served served deep-fried pickles, I immediately placed an order. Man, these are my favorites. Kosher dill spears, breaded and deep fried - is there anything better? Well, I suppose if you're not a pickle fan, probably.

I decided to try to re-create these little slices of heaven in my own kitchen. Here is the recipe I used (scaled down to serve 2 people):

1/2 c Italian bread crumbs

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 egg, beaten
5 kosher dill spears

Oil for deep frying

Preheat oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees.

Drain pickle spears and pat dry with paper towels.

Mix bread crumbs and spices in a shallow dish. In a separate dish, beat the egg.

Dip pickles in egg, then in breading.

Fry pickles for 2-3 minutes or until the breading is lightly browned. Drain on paper towels until slightly cooled.

Now, the review:

Was it easy? I think so. I had all the ingredients in my pantry. Ordinarily I wouldn't have dragged out my deep fryer for only 5 pickles, but I was also frying tater tots for dinner, so it was worth the effort.

Did it taste good? It didn't taste like the ones in the tavern. I need to adjust the seasoning. These were kind of bland. I might use cornmeal instead of bread crumbs, and use more cayenne. I didn't have garlic powder so I used dried minced garlic. I think the garlic powder would have given a better flavor. Or maybe I need a shuffleboard table, a jukebox and a few beers.

Would I make again? I will keep experimenting with the spices, or next time I visit my brother, I'll stop in and ask Tommy, the proprietor, for his recipe.

If you find yourself on Highway 641 South, just over the Kentucky/Tennesse border, looking for fried pickles, stop in to the 641 Club in Puryear, Tennessee. and tell Tommy that Travis's sister sent you. You won't regret it.