Cauliflower Fritters

A two-line recipe that assumes you already have leftover boiled vegetables and a batter recipe elsewhere in the book. The details it leaves out are the ones that decide whether the batter clings or slides off.

• Dry the florets firstCold boiled cauliflower holds water in its crevices, and wet surfaces shed batter into the fat. Blot the florets thoroughly before oiling; this is the hinge of the whole dish.
• The olive oil dipThe book gives no reason for it; it most likely helps the batter cling, and may equally have been intended for flavour. A light coating is enough, and a neutral oil will serve.
• Fritter batterThe book expects you to turn to its own batter recipe. A workable standard is 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 egg and about 2/3 cup milk, beaten smooth and rested ten minutes.
• Deep fat temperatureThe recipe gives none; about 375F works. The vegetables are already cooked, so the fat only has to set and brown the coating -- roughly two to three minutes, turning once. Lower fat means the batter drinks it.
• "Prepare the sauce as Cauliflower Fritters"There is no sauce in the cauliflower recipe. The line reads like a misprint for "prepare the same as"; treat the celery, parsnip and salsify the same way.
• SalsifySold as oyster plant, and now rare outside farmers' markets. Peeled salsify browns quickly, so drop it into acidulated water while you work and boil it before it ever meets the batter.
• Yield and servingOne medium cauliflower makes enough for four as a side dish. Drain on paper, salt while hot, and serve immediately -- fritters go limp within ten minutes.