Home Stew: Fried PB&J

This past weekend we went to the Texas State Fair. Actually, we went to the OU/Texas game, and to get to the game, you have to go to the fair...if that gives you any clue as to my feelings on going to the fair :)

After the game Hil and I decided we needed some fair food, so we were on the hunt for some fried goodness! Hil had Fried PB&J on her mind and after walking & fighting the crowd we finally found where they were being sold. Only with a line that looked to be an hour long wait...Pass! Like I said, we are not fair people. So we darted (see what I did there?) to the Dart station to head home, feeling kind of bummed that we didn't get to experience any fair food. So we decided to make it ourselves! The whole way home I was looking up different recipes, reading reviews, etc.

FYI- not much out there in the "fried PB&J" world. So, I decided to use this Monte Cristo recipe and use a PB&J sandwich instead of ham and cheese.

Here is what you'll need:

quart of oil
2/3 cup of water
1 egg
2/3 cup of flour
1 3/4 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 slices of white bread
peanut butter
jelly
bananas
powdered sugar

1. Heat 5 inches of oil in a deep-fryer to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C). While oil is heating, make the batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk into the egg mixture until smooth. Set aside in the refrigerator.

2. Make 4 peanut butter and banana sandwiches (we used the jelly as our 'dipping' sauce) and cut sandwiches into quarters. We thought the bread was too thick, so I suggest squishing the sandwich down a bit and secure it with toothpicks.

3. Dip each sandwich quarter in the batter so that all sides are coated. Deep fry in the hot oil until golden brown on all sides. Remove toothpicks and arrange on a serving tray. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.