Cheech and Chong would dig this

When I was a chemistry student and had keys to the labs we would have fun parties and occasionally work out new ideas for the show we would do to get local high school students interested in chemistry. One of my favourite amusements was to dip the Green Hulk super strong bendy doll into liquid nitrogen then try to smash him with a mallet. Usually we were laughing more than the kids. The twinkie skits always got their attention though as we would show them a mass spec of the sponge cake and the filling then light one on fire that had been presoaked in ethanol.

I noticed today that of all the things we did to those twinkies we never thought of frying them. The Chip Shop apparently got tired of frying only fish and chips and branched out into frying candy bars and twinkies. I have always coveted deep-fryers since I would find endless hours of fascination in frying everything edible and anything else that might be cool to fry. I would go out and buy one today if we weren't moving soon.

So, if you have a deep-fryer and a box of twinkies, here's the recipe for making your own lard cake on a stick to help your cholesterol levels :) It just doesn't get more American than this.

Deep-Fried Twinkies

For Twinkies:

• 6 Twinkies
• Popsicle sticks
• 4 cups vegetable oil
• Flour for dusting

For batter:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon malt vinegar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 ounces water
• powdered sugar
• berry coulis

Chill or freeze Twinkies for several hours or overnight.

Heat 4 cups vegetable oil in deep fryer to about 375 degrees.

To make batter: Mix together all ingredients [ except the powdered sugar and berry coulis ] to a custard-like consistency. Refrigerate while oil heats.

Push stick into Twinkie lengthwise, leaving about 2 inches to use as a handle, dust with flour and dip into the batter. Rotate Twinkie until batter covers entire cake. Place carefully in hot oil. The Twinkie will float, so hold it under with a utensil to ensure even browing. Fry it for about 90 seconds, just until filling is starting to melt and outside is golden brown.

Remove Twinkie to paper towel and let drain. Slice on the bias. Serve on a pool of Four-Berry Coulis. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Four-Berry Coulis

Put equal amounts of frozen raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and blueberries into a pan on low heat with a tablespoon of sugar per cup of berries. When mixture begins to boil, remove from heat. Pour into blender. Blend until berries are crusted. Pour mixture through a sieve to remove seeds.

And we STILL don't know what ingredients are in twinkies.....