Lunch: Wisconsin Cheese Curds with Dill Pickle Tartar Sauce

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups beer, preferably ale
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 pounds cheese curds
4 cups panko breadcrumbs, finely ground
Peanut oil, for frying
Dill Pickle Tartar Sauce, for serving, recipe follows

Instructions

For the beer batter: Whisk together the beer, flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a deep bowl.
Pour the flour into a shallow dish and dust the cheese curds. Dip the curds into the beer batter, and then cover each in the breadcrumbs. Arrange the curds on a baking sheet and freeze, 20 to 30 minutes (this will help prevent the curds from exploding when being fried).
Bring the peanut oil to frying temperature (350 degrees F) in a heavy-bottomed pot and deep-fry the curds, making sure not to overcrowd the pot, about 1 minute per batch. Drain the excess oil and serve the curds with the Dill Pickle Tartar Sauce.
This recipe was provided by a chef, restaurant or culinary professional and may have been scaled down from a bulk recipe. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.
For the tartar sauce:Coarsely grind the shallots and dill pickles in a food processor, and then thoroughly combine with the mayonnaise, capers, chives, dill, parsley, tarragon and lemon juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper. Yield: 5 cups.