Home › Batter Cakes › Apple Fritters
Apple Fritters
Pare and core 4 medium-sized apples. They should be tart and firm, not mealy. Slice them across half an inch thick, taking care not to break the slices. Sprinkle them with powdered sugar and a few drops of lemon juice, if the apples are not tart. Add a grating of nutmeg or other spice if liked. Dip each slice into the batter and fry in hot fat. When the first are done, lay them on brown paper in a hot oven to drain while the next are being fried.
A straightforward apple ring fritter. The recipe assumes you already have a frying batter to hand — this section of the book supplies one — so the main decisions left to the cook are the apple, the fat temperature and the draining.
- The batterNone is given here; the definite article implies a frying batter set out elsewhere in the book. Any plain fritter batter works — roughly 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, a pinch of salt, 1 egg and about 2/3 cup milk, beaten smooth and thick enough to coat a slice without sliding off.
- Fat temperature is the hinge"Hot fat" is usually taken today as about 365-375F. Below that the batter absorbs grease before it sets; much above that the coating browns while the apple is still raw and crisp. Fry in batches and let the fat recover between them.
- Choosing applesThe direction to use tart and firm fruit rather than mealy is the difference between rings that hold their shape and rings that collapse into sauce. Granny Smith, Braeburn or Northern Spy all hold. Avoid McIntosh and older Red Delicious.
- Cutting the ringsCore first with an apple corer, then slice across into half-inch rounds so each slice comes out as a whole ring. Thinner slices go limp in the fat; thicker ones stay hard in the centre.
- Sugaring before fryingPowdered sugar and lemon draw a little juice to the surface, which helps batter cling, but do not let the slices sit more than a few minutes or they weep and the batter slips.
- DrainingBrown paper in a hot oven was the period method. A wire rack set over a sheet pan in a 200F oven does the same job better, keeping the underside from steaming soft. Paper towel on the pan under the rack catches drips.
- YieldFour medium apples give roughly 16 to 20 rings — four servings as a dessert or a substantial breakfast for three. Dust with more powdered sugar just before serving, not before holding, or it dissolves.