Beer Battered Asparagus

Saw this on one of Guy Fieri's shows on Food Network and thought they sounded pretty good.  They weren't bad but were a little greasy for me.  I'm always looking for new ways to make vegetables so I'll keep looking.



Beer Battered Asparagus

1 bunch medium asparagus, ends trimmed

2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs, seperated

3/4 cup beer, lager or pale ale

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup white cornmeal

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 cups peanut oil

sea salt

In shallow pan, soak asparagus in buttermilk 12 to 24 hours.  Remove from buttermilk, but do not rinse.

In large bowl, combine well the egg yolks, beer, flour, cornmeal, salt, cayenne, and pepper.  In large deep sided pot, heat oil to 350 degrees.  Meanwhile, in large clean bowl with an electric mixer, beat egg whites to stiff peaks.  Gently fold beaten egg whites into batter mixture.  Dip spears, 1 at a time into batter, then carefully lay in oil.  Do not overcrowd pan.  Fry in batches, if necessary.  Fry 2 to 3 minutes, turning spears to ensure even cooking.  Drain on paper towels.  Sprinkle with sea salt, to taste.

**I didn't read this recipe ahead of time and only soaked mine for probably a half hour or 45 minutes. 

**I didn't measure my oil but poured an inch or so in the bottom of a deep skillet and just turned them so both sides got cooked.

**You can serve this with an aioli but I just mixed up a couple tabelspoons of the Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic dip.