appetizers & recipes: cain of cain's arcade with corn dogs by alton brown and lemonade

Remember the days before we had hundreds of TV channels? Do you recall the days before video games, before everyone had a computer, before iPads? Remember when you were a child and you would find a large box? That box became a castle, a robot, a space ship or a lemonade stand?

If you had more than one box they became a town in the Wild West or all the departments in a department store. Do you remember that kind of creativity? A few cardboard boxes, some markers or crayons and a lot of imagination could provide hours of entertainment.

We could not pass the opportunity to dedicate a post to a young man who is creative, ingenious and enterprising. We would like to introduce you to Caine of Caine’s Arcade. Please take a moment to watch the video about Caine. He will surely make you smile as you pine for the days of your youth when life seemed less complex and more magical. It reminds us of a time when we felt like we could do anything we wanted, be whoever we wanted to be and while reaching for the moon, we could touch the stars.

Inspired by Caine’s Arcade we have chosen the perfect arcade food: Corn Dogs! And, inspired by his entrepreneurial spirit we have included a lemonade recipe, too.

Corn Dogs (Alton Brown)

Ingredients

1 gallon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons (approximately 1 large) jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced (optional)
1 (8.5-ounce) can cream-style corn
1/3 cup finely grated onion
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons cornstarch, for dredging
8 beef hot dogs

Directions

1. Special equipment: 8 sets chopsticks not separated or popsicle sticks.

2. Pour oil into a deep fryer or large heavy pot and heat to 375 degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cayenne pepper. In a separate bowl, combine the jalapeno, corn, onion, and buttermilk. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients all at once, and stir only enough times to bring the batter together; there should be lumps. Set batter aside and allow them to rest for 10 minutes.

3. Scatter the cornstarch into a dry pie pan. Roll each hot dog in the cornstarch and tap well to remove any excess.

4. Transfer enough batter to almost fill a large drinking glass. Refill the glass as needed. Place each hot dog on chopsticks, and quickly dip in and out of the batter. Immediately and carefully place each hot dog into the oil, and cook until coating is golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. With tongs, remove to cooling rack, and allow them to drain for 3 to 5 minutes.

Lemonade
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 cup hot water
2 cups fresh lemon juice
1 gallon cold water
1 lemon, sliced

Directions

1. Place sugar and hot water into a large pitcher. Mix until sugar dissolves.
2. Add lemon juice and cold water. Stir until well mixed.
3. Pour lemonade over glasses off filled with ice.