Funnel Cakes and Big Fish

With all the visual treats at the carnivals, fairs, and circuses around the world, is it wrong I look forward to the food more than anything? Among all the culinary options, funnel cakes are far and away my favorite. Fried until golden brown then dusted with a generous amount of powdered sugar, their really is no resisting a hot funnel cake. In Tim Burton's 2003 film, the main character Edward Bloom spends a few months of his life working at a Circus in order to find out the name of the love of his life. That portion of the movie always makes me crave being at a carnival or a circus and eating a funnel cake. Since we can't just hit pause and run down to the big top and pick up an order of funnel cakes, we'll make them at home! It's a simple recipe that anyone can make and it's sure to impress your friends and family. This recipe will yield about 5 to 6 large funnel cakes

2 Eggs
1/4 cup of Sugar
2 cups of Milk
1/2 teaspoon of Pure Vanilla
3 cups of Flour
1 tablespoon of Baking Powder
A pinch of Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of Kosher Salt
Peanut or Vegetable Oil for frying (Peanut recommended)
Powdered Sugar (For dusting)

In a large mixing bowl, whisk two eggs together until slightly beaten together. Add the sugar to the eggs and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until the sugar had dissolved. Once beaten, add the milk and the vanilla to the egg mixture and whisk to combine.

In a separate bowl - sift together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt together. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the milk and eggs while whisking together, add about a cup at a time. Whisk everything together just until the batter forms and it's very smooth and there aren't any lumps of flour.

To fry the funnel cakes, add about 2 to 3 inches of oil to a cast iron skillet, dutch oven, a deep fryer, or a heavy duty pot. Peanut oil is the best oil to use here because it tends to not absorb into the funnel cakes as much as the vegetable oil. Heat the oil to around 375 degrees. Once heated, test the oil by dropping just a small spoonful into the hot oil. The batter should sink for just a moment and rise bake to the surface and start bubbling. Before you start frying the funnel cakes, have a plate with a few paper towels nearby to set the cakes on once we remove them from the oil.

If you don't have a funnel to pour the batter into the oil, pouring from a liquid measuring cup will do just fine. Fill the funnel with batter using a ladle and keeping a finger underneath the spout so the batter doesn't leak out. Bring the funnel over the batter and carefully remove your finger from the bottom and pour the batter into the oil. Move the funnel in a circular and criss cross motion to form the cakes.

Fry the funnel cakes for about 2 to 3 minutes. Much like a pancake, you should see air bubbles at the top of the batter and the sides around the bottom start to turn golden brown. Carefully flip the funnel cakes and allow them to fry for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.

Carefully remove the funnel cake from the hot oil and place them onto the paper towels to drain any excess oil. Immediately dust the hot funnel cakes with a generous amount of powdered sugar.

Serve the funnel cakes while they are still hot. If you're making a large quantity, you can store the funnel cakes in an oven that's been preheated to 275 degrees. After you're finished frying, let the oil cool completely and you can strain the oil and store in an air tight container to use again at a later date.

Once you've fried your funnel cakes, it's time to start our movie of the week. This weeks film is the larger than life story of Edward Bloom and is extraordinary adventures in Tim Burton's 2003 film Big Fish.

When the fascinating life of Edward Bloom (Albert Finney) seems close to it's final chapter, his family gathers by his bed side to spend what time they have with him left. For Edwards son William (Billy Crudup), it's the final chance he has to really understand his father. All his life, Edward lived a fascinating and eventful life and chose to share his experiences with people through him telling his over the top stories that played out more like fairy tales.

While young William saw the allure in his father's tales, he quickly out grew hearing the same stories over and over and no longer saw the charm in what he know saw as lies. Trying the understand what were true events and what were fabrications, William sorts through his fathers past in hopes to understand him and makes sense of his stories.

In the flashback portions of the film, Edward's younger self is portrayed by Ewan McGregor. Edward's life was never filled with a dull moment and met some interesting people along the way including a witch, a giant, a werewolf, and plenty of other folks that became apart of his stories. Through the recreation and the retelling of his father's stories, William may finally learn about both his fathers greatest achievements and his failures. Marion Cotillard, Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham Carter, Steve Buscemi, and Danny Deveto co-star in this fairy-tale fantasy of a film.

Big Fish is among the most original films that's been created in recent memory. It's tag line "An adventure as big as life itself" perfectly describes what this movie is about. A heart warming, funny, and magical film that tells a story fit for all ages. At it's core, it's a father and son film that portrays the special bond between them. Tim Burton's eye for fantasy and stunning visuals is very apparent in Big Fish and I don't think any other director other than Burton would have done this story justice. If you've never seen this film, I can't urge you to do so as soon as possible. Click here to watch the trailer for Big Fish.