Home › Cheese Dishes › Cheese Fritters
Cheese Fritters
Cheese which has become a little dry will answer for this purpose, though, of course, fresh cheese will be better. Put 3 ounces of cheese in a mortar, with a dessertspoonful of finely minced ham, 3 dessertspoonfuls of finely grated bread crumbs, a teaspoonful of dry mustard, a piece of butter about the size of a small egg, 2 or 3 grains of cayenne, and the yolk of an egg well beaten. Pound these ingredients together until they are perfectly smooth, then form the paste into balls about the size of a walnut, flatten to a thickness of half an inch, dip them in batter, and fry them until lightly browned, and drain. Place them on a napkin, and serve as hot as possible. Time to fry, two or three minutes.
A savoury of the sort served at the end of a Victorian dinner, and one that works as a canapé now. The paste is very rich, so keep the pieces small and the fat hot enough to set the coating before the cheese melts out.
- Spoon measuresA dessertspoonful is 2 teaspoons, so the ham is about 2 teaspoons minced and the crumbs about 2 tablespoons. The butter "the size of a small egg" is roughly 1 1/2 to 2 oz, or 3 to 4 tablespoons.
- The cheeseUse a firm dry cheese with real flavour — aged Cheddar, Cheshire, Gruyère. Three ounces grated fine is about 3/4 cup loosely packed; the recipe opens by allowing cheese that has gone a little dry, while noting that fresh cheese will be better.
- Mortar or processorA food processor does the pounding in seconds, but pulse rather than run it — overworking warm butter and cheese gives a greasy paste. Chill the finished mixture for 20 to 30 minutes before shaping or the balls will not hold their edges.
- The batter is not specifiedThe original assumes the reader has a standing frying batter. A plain one of flour, a little salt and enough milk or beer to make a coating the consistency of thick cream is consistent with the period; egg-and-breadcrumb also holds well and browns more reliably.
- Frying temperatureDeep fat at 350–375F gives the two or three minutes stated. Cooler than that and the cheese liquefies before the crust sets; hotter and the outside darkens while the centre is still cold.
- Cayenne"Two or three grains" means a very small pinch, not a measured amount. With a teaspoon of dry mustard already in the paste the heat builds quickly, so err low and taste the raw mixture.
- Draining and servingThe napkin is a folded cloth on the serving dish to absorb fat; a paper-lined plate does the same. These collapse as they cool, so fry in small batches and send them out immediately.
- YieldThe quantities give about 10 to 12 flattened balls — enough for four as a savoury or a first course, or a small plate of appetisers.