Make Ahead

Buffalo Girls

June  7, 2011
4
4 Ratings
  • Serves 1 1/2 to 2 dozen miniature size 34A
Author Notes

A self-contained treat for a backyard hors d'oeuvre, and these girls love to come out at night. Perfect for a girls' night in.

I know, I know, Buffalo means Wings and they're traditionally made with, well, wings. Or drumettes. In either case, chicken. But please, work with me here; for these girls, ground turkey is way more economical and available than ground chicken. Plus, it tends to come in a great blend of both light and dark meat for lots of flavor and good texture. Here, the traditional wing flavors are packed on the inside: bleu cheese, sour cream, Tabasco, crunchy celery. Best of all, missing are those annoying bones, and your fingers aren't fighting for a grip on that red, slippery skin. —boulangere

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Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground turkey, not low fat please
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 4 stalks celery, washed, trimmed, fine dice
  • 4 ounces good bleu cheese, diced
  • 1 cup Panko, unseasoned
  • 2 tablespoons , or more, Tabasco because real girls embrace the heat
  • 2 teaspoons sea or kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • Bowl of ice water for your scoop
  • 4 ounces butter, melted
Directions
  1. In a mixing bowl, mix together turkey, sour cream, celery, bleu cheese, Panko, Tabasco, salt, and pepper. If you like your girls hotter, feel free to up the Tabasco. 2 tablespoons will leave you with a memorable glow. Glove up and use your hands to mix, or use a wooden spoon. Cover bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes so the Panko can adequately hydrate.
  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter.
  3. Use whatever size ice cream scoop will best accommodate your girls. I use one that yields 2 or 3 dainty bites each. Dip it in ice water between every couple of scoops. Your girls want to have a perfect, rounded shape. Scoop and drop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Leave an inch or so between each one so that your girls hold their shape and bake evenly. When all have been scooped, drizzle with melted butter. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes depending on size. Girls should measure 165 degrees at their lovely centers on an instant-read thermometer, and they should be beautifully bronzed. Bleu cheese should be melty and celery crunchy.
  4. Note: if you wish to prepare and scoop your girls in advance, they can easily be frozen after the scooping step. Instead of leaving space between them, however, snuggle them up side by side. Be kind to your girls and wrap them snugly in plastic before freezing. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then separate the sisters by an inch or so on a baking sheet lined with parchment before baking.
  5. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes to cool to a temp that can be handled. Gently, of course. Serve on a platter or in a pointy parchment cone, and dance by the light of the moon.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

30 Reviews

Niknud December 9, 2011
Great recipe. Love that you rolled all the wing accessories (blue cheese and celery) into your girls. And I'm all over the heavy-handed use of tobasco, cholula, sambel olek (or however you spell it), harissa and all things extremely spicy. There's a great hot sauce company in Boulder, CO that makes a smokey serano sauce that is to. die. for. Might sub here for the tobasco..... Saving the recipe!
boulangere December 9, 2011
Oooh, the smokey serano sounds divine. And I could eat sambal olek on my toast! Sub away!
lorigoldsby December 4, 2011
I remember these! ummm thank you for the reminder--I meant to save it then--
boulangere December 4, 2011
LOL! Gotta hang onto your girls!
aargersi December 1, 2011
Um, JUST MY SIZE! BWAhahahahaha! And yes, I will be using all of the tobasco. Missed these the first time around, LOVE them!!!!
boulangere December 1, 2011
You are too much! Gotta love the tabasco.
drbabs June 12, 2011
2 TABLESPOONS of Tabasco?! Girl, you must have asbestos on your digestive tract! I do love the line: real girls embrace the heat!
Panfusine June 12, 2011
There was a time when that was a piece of cake!! aah the advantages of a cast iron stomach!
boulangere June 12, 2011
Yes, it's not a typing error. And I guess it's all relative. I honestly don't find these all that spicy - just the *glow*. And I do tend to have a pretty cast iron stomach. Maybe try them with less, and see what you think.
boulangere June 9, 2011
That's what I thought!
wssmom June 9, 2011
No mess!! YAY!!!
boulangere June 9, 2011
That's the idea - the taste without the mess.
kdubu June 9, 2011
the carnivore loves wings and I hate to fix them, so this definitely goes on the to do list!
boulangere June 10, 2011
This satisfies the carnivore in my family as well. And I have a feeling he's much pickier than yours.
boulangere June 8, 2011
And dance by the light of the moon!
ChefMommy June 8, 2011
I know a few girls who will enjoy these "girls". Guess we are having a party!!!
boulangere June 10, 2011
Dance by the light of the moon!
boulangere June 8, 2011
Thanks for the no low fat affirmation.
boulangere June 8, 2011
Really? That's what I thought when I saw the package in the grocery store the other day. How much more low fat can it get than ground turkey?
lapadia June 8, 2011
What a TASTY recipe and a FUN headnote, thanks for sharing!
boulangere June 8, 2011
Thank you, it's been a pleasure!
lapadia May 31, 2015
Still an excellent idea, after all these years :)
fiveandspice June 8, 2011
Mmm, mmm. These ladies look hot!
EmilyC June 8, 2011
I agree! I laughed when I read "miniature size 34A!" I've been buying ground bison lately -- do you think it would work here? And then they'd be the real-deal buffalo girls! : )
boulangere June 8, 2011
Glad you're getting some good laughs. EmilyC, I love bison, and I think it would be great.
Panfusine June 8, 2011
like the matter-of-fact 'no low fat please' instruction!
Panfusine June 8, 2011
how could I have missed that miniature 34 A... OH LAWD!!! now I'm going to be giggling over this for the rest of the day!
boulangere June 8, 2011
Glad they made you giggle!
boulangere June 7, 2011
LOL! Film at 11.
inpatskitchen June 7, 2011
Love this!! You know I love the buffalo wing thing!