12 sticks of cheese or 12 pieces of mozzarella cut into 4x1/2in sticks
1 1/2 cups panko-style bread crumbs
4 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp table salt
ground pepper to taste
4 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
canola oil for frying
BUTTERMILK DIP-
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sour cream
2 Tbs freshly sqeezed lemon or lime juice
1 tbs olive oil
1 1/2 tsp honey
2 tsp minced fresh basil
2 tbs minced green onion
2 tbs minced flat-leaf parsley
1/4-1/2 tsp salt and pepper
Instructions
Dredge the mozzarella sticks- Spread the flour and
breadcrumbs on separate plates (pie plates work well for this).
Add the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to the breadcrumbs
and mix well. Place the eggs in a small bowl and beat them
lightly.
Drop a piece of cheese into the flour and roll it around until it
is well covered. Shake off the excess flour and dip the cheese
into the egg mixture before rolling it in the breadcrumbs until
well coated. One last time, dip the breadcrumb coated cheese
back into the beaten egg and roll again in breadcrumbs to
create an extra crispy coating. Set aside on a clean plate and
repeat with the remaining cheese sticks. Once all of the
mozzarella has been breaded, place the plate into the freezer
uncovered and freeze until the breadcrumb coating is firm, at
least 2 hours.
Meanwhile, make the buttermilk dip- In a small bowl, whisk all
of the ingredients together until well combined. Cover with
plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Fry the mozzarella sticks- Pour enough oil into a large heavy-
bottomed pot to come to a depth of at least 2 inches. Using
an candy thermometer, heat oil until it reaches a temperature
of 350°. Fry the mozzarella sticks in batches, being careful
not to overwhelm the oil, until crispy and browned on the
exterior, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
Repeat with remaining mozzarella, allowing the oil
temperature to rise back to 350° between batches. You can
place the finished mozzarella sticks in a 200° oven to keep
them warm while the others fry.
Serve immediately with buttermilk dip
Originally Submitted
11/9/2011
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