Corn Fritters

A thick drop batter rather than a delicate fritter, and it behaves like a corn pancake. The brand names in the ingredient list are period advertising and carry no meaning for the cook today.

• Sweet milkSimply fresh, unsoured milk — whole milk. The term exists because buttermilk and clabbered milk were equally common in the pantry and had to be distinguished.
• Brand names"Royal" baking powder and "Club House" flour are the products the contributor bought; brand names appear routinely in recipes submitted in this period, though nothing in the recipe itself shows whether the book carried paid grocery listings. Any double-acting baking powder and plain all-purpose flour work. One teaspoon of powder to one cup of flour sits at the lean end of the modern range (usually given as 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons per cup), and needs no adjustment here.
• The cornCanned kernels should be drained well, and fresh corn cut from the cob is better scraped than sliced so the milky pulp comes with it. Excess liquid loosens the batter and the cakes will spread and soak fat.
• Batter consistencyWith a full cup of flour to half a cup of milk plus one egg, this is stiff — closer to a spoonable dough than a pour. That is intentional; it holds its shape as a small cake. Thin it a spoonful of milk at a time only if it will not drop from the spoon.
• Hot fat"Fry in small cakes in hot fat" most likely means shallow frying rather than deep. About a quarter inch of fat in a heavy skillet at roughly 350-375F gives a browned crust in about two minutes a side; in cooler fat the interior stays raw while the outside pales.
• Testing the centreThe baking powder makes these puff, which can disguise a wet middle. Break one open before serving the batch.
• YieldAbout ten to twelve cakes of two inches, enough for three or four people at breakfast.