Swiss Chard & Sausage Pizza with Sweet Potatoes...or Squash....or Ricotta...

In a free moment last week I was trying to catch up with some of my food magazines.  As the dinner hour approached I happened upon a delicious looking Swiss Chard & Italian Sausage pizza in Bon Appetit.   I decided that that would be just the thing for dinner:  I still had time to make the dough...and I knew I had all the ingredients on hand.  Unfortunately, when I began to pull out the ingredients, I discovered I did not have them all...  I was inexplicably out of ricotta cheese.  As I stood staring into the refrigerator trying to reformulate my game plan for dinner, I spotted a small container of leftover mashed sweet potatoes...and another of diced roasted butternut squash.  The amount of each was so small I was surprised I had bothered to save either one...but I do hate to waste food.  So, there they were.  And there I was:  still hungry for pizza.

Having recently made a sweet potato and kale pizza, it occurred to me to substitute mashed sweet potatoes and squash for the ricotta.  Not an obvious substitution I know...but I thought it would be delicious.  And it was.  To make it, I combined my leftovers, smashing the diced cooked squash into the already mashed sweet potatoes.  I then just daubed it all over the pizza instead of the ricotta.  If all of my leftovers had been diced roasted squash, I would have simply scattered the pieces over the pizza. 

The flavors of the salty sausage, bitter greens and sweet squash/sweet potatoes were fantastic together.  I'm not sure, but I think that I probably like this version better than the one that inspired it.  Although, if I had not had leftovers....and had had some ricotta in my fridge...I'm sure the original version would have been delicious, too.  And not incidentally at this time of year, would have made for faster dinner prep than roasting squash or sweet potatoes from scratch.

I guess it seems appropriate that my "post Thanksgiving" post should be about leftovers.  Even though my leftovers weren't Thanksgiving leftovers...since they were sweet potatoes and squash, they could have been.  So, if you still have leftover sweet potatoes or squash from the big feast, this pizza would be a great place to use them...and even if you don't, you could still make this pizza (with ricotta...or freshly roasted squash...or sweet potatoes...).  I know I will be making it again.

Swiss Chard & Italian Sausage Pizza

Olive oil

4 oz. Italian Sausage, casings removed

1 clove garlic, minced (see notes)

Hot pepper flakes (see notes)

1 bunch Swiss Chard, ribs removed, leaves cut into a wide chiffonade and well rinsed

Salt & pepper

A generous half cup of smashed sweet potatoes or whole milk ricotta cheese (see notes)

4 oz. Dubliner (or other favorite melting cheese)

2 oz. Goat cheese

1 oz. finely grated pecorino

1 ball (about 10 oz.) pizza dough

Place a tablespoon of olive oil and the sausage in a large, cold sauté pan.  Set over medium heat.  Cook, breaking up the sausage with a fork or a wooden spoon.  Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage has lost its pinkness.  Add the garlic and pepper flakes, if using, followed by the chard, adding the chard a handful or two at a time, turning it in the fat to coat and adding more as it begins to collapse.  When all of the chard has collapsed, continue to cook until the chard is tender and any water given off has evaporated (the chard and sausage should be sizzling in the pan).  Remove from the heat and let cool.  Taste and correct the seasoning.

In a small bowl, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the sweet potatoes (or ricotta) and season to taste with salt & pepper. 

Build the pizza: On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a pizza pan, baking sheet or pizza peel that has been dusted with semolina or cornmeal. Spread a thin layer of oil over the crust. Daub the sweet potatoes (or ricotta) over the crust.  Next, scatter with three-quarters of the Dubliner.  Spread the sausage/chard mixture over the cheese.  Finally scatter the remaining Dubliner over all, followed by the crumbled goat cheese and the pecorino

If using a pizza pan or baking sheet, place the pizza in the pan on a pre-heated pizza stone in a pre-heated 500° oven. Bake until the crust is golden brown on the bottom and the cheese is bubbling, about 12 to 15 minutes. To insure a crisp crust, slide the pizza off of the pan and onto the pizza stone as soon as the crust is set (after 4 or 5 minutes).

If using a peel, slide the pizza directly onto the preheated baking stone. Bake until the crust is golden brown on the bottom and the cheese is bubbling—about 8 to 12 minutes.

When the pizza is done, transfer to a cutting board and cut into wedges and serve.

Notes:

• Whether or not you will need garlic and/or pepper flakes will depend on your sausage.  If the sausage is hot and garlicky, you won't need to add more.
• If you do not have leftover sweet potatoes, place a small (8 oz.) sweet potato on a square of foil or in a small baking pan.  Prick all over with a fork of the tip of a knife and roast in a 375° to 400° oven until soft and oozing (about an hour).  Peel when cool enough to handle and smash with a fork.  You should have about 4 oz. or 1/2 cup of sweet potato mash.  
• If you would prefer to use squash, peel, seed and cube an 8 to 10 oz. chunk of winter squash.  Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Transfer to a baking sheet and roast in a 375° to 400° oven until tender (about 20 minutes).  Omit the sweet potatoes or ricotta from the recipe and scatter the cubes of roasted squash over the Dubliner just before adding the sausage and greens.

Printable Recipe

Pizza Dough:

1/2 cup warm water (100º-110º F)
1 1/8 t. active dry yeast
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 T. olive oil
1/2 t. salt

Place the water in a large bowl and add the yeast. Let soften for a minute or two. Add 3/4 cup of the flour and whisk until smooth. Add the oil, salt and another half cup of the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon to form a soft dough that holds its shape, adding more flour if necessary. Sprinkle some of the remaining quarter cup of flour on a smooth surface. Scrape the dough out of the bowl and sprinkle with a bit more of the flour. Knead the dough, adding just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking, until the dough is smooth and springs back when pressed lightly with a finger—about 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise until it has doubled in size—about 1 hour. Punch down the dough and turn it onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Cover with a towel and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes. The dough is now ready to be shaped, topped and cooked or frozen.

Food Processor Method: Place the water and yeast in a small bowl and let sit until the yeast has dissolved. Place 1 1/3 cups of the flour and salt in the food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse to blend. Add the oil and yeast/water mixture and pulse until the dough is homogenous. Begin to run the mixture in long pulses until the dough is smooth and elastic—it shouldn't take more than a minute. If the dough seems wet and sticky, add some of the remaining flour a tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and give it a few kneads by hand.

Variation for a Whole Wheat Crust: Instead of unbleached all-purpose flour, use 3/4 c. bread flour and 1/2 to 3/4 c. whole wheat flour (the new “white” whole wheat flour is a good choice).

(Crust recipe adapted from The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins.) 

Printable Crust Recipe

Pimiento Cheese—a Southern Classic for Thanksgiving...and a bonus recipe for Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

Pimiento Cheese was always a part of my maternal grandmother's Thanksgiving Day relish tray.  Stuffed into little celery sticks, it—along with the watermelon rind pickles—was high on my list of things to avoid.  My dad loved it.  Not because it was any good—I think my maternal grandmother was purchasing hers from the grocery store deli counter by the time I came along.  Rather, I would bet my dad's enjoyment of said substance rested in nostalgia...for the delicious homemade pimiento cheese that his mother apparently made when he was growing up.  I still think there are better crudités than celery sticks...but I have learned to love pimiento cheese....the real (homemade) thing, that is.

My first inkling that there was something to love about pimiento cheese came around Thanksgiving of 1999.  In the November issue of Gourmet that year, James Villas wrote a wonderful little ode to his mother's version.  I was intrigued.  He made me want to try it.  But I chalked this up to fine writing and went along in my pimiento cheese avoiding ways.

Then, several years later I received a copy of southern chef Frank Stitt's first cookbook.  Stitt is one of my favorite chefs.  And the fact that he thought highly enough of this traditional Southern dish to give it space in his first book (along with even more space to write his own short ode to the stuff) gave me pause:  Perhaps there was something more to pimiento cheese than nostalgia?  So I made a batch.  What can I say?  I get it now.  It is addictively delicious.

I have continued to make Frank Stitt's version of pimiento cheese.  There are other versions...but this one is extremely good.  And it includes what I think (as a non-connoisseur) are the important elements.  First and foremost you need a good, sharp cheddar cheese.  Villas recommends New York and Vermont Cheddars, but any delicious, well-aged cheddar that you love would be good.  I use a mix of Sharp Oregon Tillamook and Cabot's "Seriously Sharp" White from Vermont. 

Next, you need excellent mayonnaise.  I like Hellman's...but if you're from the south, Duke's is apparently the only way to go.  You can obviously make your own too.  Good mayonnaise will add zip and tang...and lovely texture.  Stitt's version substitutes a little bit of cream cheese for some of the mayo.  (Make sure that these two are smoothly creamed together before adding anything else.)  I think the cream cheese is a nice touch.  But it is possible that an aficionado would consider this heresy. 

Stitt's recipe includes freshly roasted peppers instead of jarred pimientos.  James Villas would give him some disagreement on this point...evidently feeling very strongly about the inclusion of jarred pimientos.  But I can't imagine a jarred product could compete with the firm texture and sweet—slightly charred—flavor of those you roast yourself.  Villas adds further weight to his argument in favor of jarred pimientos by pointing out that the liquid in the jar is the perfect medium for correcting the consistency of an overly stiff pimiento cheese.  But again, I can't begin to believe that this liquid could hold a candle to the sweet and robust flavor of the juices exuded by freshly roasted peppers. 

Lastly, pimiento cheese should have a nice kick.  Stitt's version provides this with a generous amount of freshly ground pepper, cayenne and hot sauce.  Stitt uses white pepper...but I prefer black.  I love the look of the little flecks throughout.  I don't use hot sauce...finding that the black pepper and cayenne give plenty of heat.  But you can...and should....make it as zippy as you like. 

If you look at the recipe you will notice that it specifies that you mix everything together in a stand mixer with a paddle.  I think this works great because it allows you to beat the mixture to a fluffier texture...smoothing the shreds of cheese out a bit at the same time.  But you'll notice that I mixed the cheese in the pictures by hand with a stiff rubber spatula...which works fine too.  (This latter method requires a bit of effort...but if you're going to eat a lot of pimiento cheese, exerting yourself a little bit is probably a good idea.)

You may grate the cheese coarsely...or finely...as you prefer.  I like it coarse.  I discovered during a recent Facebook conversation that many people who grew up with pimiento cheese remember their mothers grinding the cheese through an old fashioned, hand crank, meat grinder.  When I looked up Villas' article in Gourmet, I discovered that this was the way his mother made it too.  My own mother—seeing the Facebook conversation—told me that the meat grinder was my dad's mother's implement of choice as well.    

Before I finish, I feel I should point out that the inclusion of half a package of cream cheese in Stitt's recipe turns out to be a bit problematic for me. Cream cheese is not something I eat a lot of.  Other than in pimiento cheese I only use it for a couple of things:  cheesecake and cream cheese frosting.  Most recipes call for 8 oz. increments.  So unless I am making a double batch of pimiento cheese, I end up with half a package of cream cheese taking up space...and eventually going bad...in my refrigerator.  This time though, I decided to try and use it up before I forgot about it. 

As I considered what to make, the Marbled Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies I made last March immediately came to mind.  They use exactly 4 oz. of cream cheese.  More importantly, they were delicious.  It occurred to me that a seasonal pumpkin version would be a fine thing too.  And it was.  I'm including the recipe so you won't be stuck with that half package of cream cheese either. 

I hope that if you have spent a lifetime avoiding pimiento cheese....or if you have never heard of it until today (if you don't have Southern roots, you might not have)...that you will give it a try.  Thanksgiving Day...in a nice big bowl, surrounded by saltine crackers (and celery sticks, if you like)...would be the perfect time.  I don't imagine that there will be any leftovers....but if there are, it makes a fantastic sandwich.  

Once you try it, I predict that you will make it again and again.  I regret that it took me so long to sample it. Sadly, since I was a rather picky child, I have experienced this kind of regret many times.  Even so...I admit it...I would still tread carefully around the watermelon rind pickles....

Miss Verba’s Pimiento Cheese

1/4 lb. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. homemade or best quality commercial mayonnaise

1 t. freshly ground pepper

1 t. sugar

1/8 t. cayenne pepper

1 lb. sharp cheddar (1/2 sharp orange & 1/2 extra sharp white)—grated (coarse or fine...as you prefer)

1 lb. red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped (1 cup/8 oz.)—peppers and juices reserved separately

Splash of hot sauce, such as Tabasco or Cholula—optional

Place the cream cheese in the bowl of the kitchen aid and paddle until smooth.  Scrape down the sides and add the mayonnaise.  Beat until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.  Mix in the pepper, sugar and cayenne.  Add the grated cheese and peppers

and paddle until you have a coarse, creamy and homogenous spread.  At this point, you may add the reserved roasted pepper juices if you like.  The more you beat the mixture, the smoother and fluffier it will become...you should mix until you reach the texture you prefer.  Taste and add hot sauce and/or more cayenne if you would like more heat.  Depending on the cheese you use, you may need to add a couple pinches of salt.  Refrigerate and serve chilled.  (The spread will keep for several days in the refrigerator.)

Makes 3 cups

(Recipe adapted from Frank Stitt's Southern Table)

Printable Recipe

Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

1/4 c. sugar (50 g.)

1 t. flour

1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice

Pinch of salt

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 t. vanilla

3 T.  pumpkin purée (45 g.)

1 egg yolk

1/4 lb. (1 stick) unsalted butter

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate (I use Ghirardelli 60%)

2 large eggs

2/3 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla

1/2 c. all-purpose flour (55g.)

1/4 t. salt

3/4 c. toasted pecans, chopped

Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.  Line the pan with parchment paper allowing the parchment to hang over the edges on 2 sides.  Butter the paper.  Flour the pan and set aside.  Preheat the oven to 350°. 

Combine the sugar, flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt.  In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese just to break up.  Add the sugar mixture and work in just until smooth and incorporated.  Add a tablespoon of the pumpkin and blend in.  When it is completely absorbed, add the rest of the pumpkin.  Beat in the vanilla and egg yolk.  Set aside

In a medium saucepan, over low heat, melt the butter and the chocolate.  Set aside to cool for a moment or two. 

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs just to break up.  Whisk in the sugar and the vanilla just until smooth.  Whisk in the salt.  Stir in the cooled chocolate-butter mixture.  Sift the flour into the bowl and fold in.  Fold in 2/3 of the pecans (1/2 cup).

Spread the chocolate batter in the prepared pan.  Dollop the pumpkin-cheese mixture evenly over the chocolate batter in 9 equal portions (a miniature ice cream scoop/cookie scoop works well for this).  

Smooth the dollops slightly so they are more or less level with the chocolate batter.  Marble the two batters together.  Scatter the remaining pecans over the surface.  

Bake until a toothpick comes out just clean—about 30 to 35 minutes.  Cool completely.  

Chill before cutting into small rectangles or squares.  Makes 16 to 24 brownies. 

Printable Recipe

A Sweet Potato & Apple Gratin for Thanksgiving

During my first year as a blogger I posted an extensive series of Thanksgiving recipes as we approached the big day.  Because I love the Thanksgiving holiday so much I have continued to add one or two items to this parade of Thanksgiving appropriate recipes every year.  If you are looking for recipes to round out your Thanksgiving spread (for some reason I have never posted any of the components of the main event...turkey, dressing and gravy...maybe this year...), you could probably find almost everything you need right here.

This year I wanted to add another sweet potato dish to the mix.  Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite things on the Thanksgiving table.  They are so delicious...and versatile.  Besides, I want to help convince everyone that there is so much that can be done with them other than drowning them in sugar and topping them with marshmallows.  In past years—because I object so much to this sugar-laden oddity—I have posted two unabashedly savory sweet potato side dishes....one with turnips and another with mushrooms.  They are both delicious....and each shows the sweet potato off to great advantage.  If you think you don't like sweet potatoes, you should give one of these dishes a try. 

Perhaps to demonstrate that I don't entirely object to sweet potato dishes that emphasize the "sweet" side of this wonderful vegetable, the sweet potato recipe I'm sharing this year is filled with apples and includes a sweet and crunchy streusel topping.  This dish would be a perfect addition to your table if you are trying to wean your family off a version of Thanksgiving sweet potatoes that includes marshmallows.    

The apple portion of this dish is nothing more than a simple, oven-roasted, chunky applesauce.  It is wonderful in combination with the sweet potatoes...but it is so delicious on its own you might want to make more than you need for just this recipe.  You can make any amount you like as long as you choose a dish that holds the apples snug layer—no deeper than one or two apple slices thick.  (If the apples are too sparse, they might burn and dry out...if they are too deeply piled into the dish, you will end up with an applesauce that is thin and watery instead of thick and deeply flavored.)  

The choice of apples is up to you.  If you want a sweeter dish, choose a naturally sweet apple—like Golden Delicious or Gala.  If you want something very tart, choose a Granny Smith.  I find that I like to make it with a mix of apples (a combination of tart Jonathans with sweet Golden Delicious is my favorite)—or an apple with a strong sweet-tart character—like a Braeburn or a Jonagold.  You can ramp up the apple flavor of the gratin even more by sautéing some diced apples and scattering them over the gratin before adding the streusel. 

To prepare the sweet potatoes, simply roast, peel and mash.  I like the texture best if half of the sweet potatoes are puréed until perfectly smooth (in the food processor) and half of them are left as a chunky mash, but you could purée all of them...or none of them...depending on the texture that you prefer.  This simple mash of sweet potatoes is then enhanced with butter and cream and combined with the homemade applesauce.  

If you like, you can stop at this point...you will have a delicious sweet potato-apple purée, which is good not only at Thanksgiving, but it is simple enough for a weeknight meal (and exceptionally fine with a pork chop...or roast chicken).  If the individual components have cooled...or been made ahead...simply reheat in a bain-marie (a bowl set over simmering water) or in the microwave. 

To turn the sweet potato-apple mixture into a gratin, simply transfer it to a buttered, shallow baking dish and top it with the brown sugar streusel.  Serving it this way makes it perfect for Thanksgiving—it adds that almost dessert-like persona that many are looking for in their Thanksgiving sweet potatoes....and, it makes it so that the dish can be made in its entirety ahead of time—only needing to be heated through to make it ready for the table.  If you have ever prepared Thanksgiving dinner before you know just how great it is to have a few things that you can serve that require absolutely nothing from the cook on the day of the meal. 

Over the years I have noticed that the traffic on my blog picks up a bit at the holidays as people begin to do a bit more cooking than usual. If you are visiting for the first time...and are looking for some ideas for your Thanksgiving spread (and you like the look of today's post)...you should check out my recipe index...or scroll through recipes featuring specific ingredients that interest you (see the sidebar)...or look through old October and November posts....  But I also want to let you know that I have posted a few albums on my Facebook page that feature links to Thanksgiving recipes from previous years.  You'll find lots of ideas for side dishes, appetizers and sweets...all featuring traditional and seasonal ingredients (there's even one album devoted entirely to pumpkin recipes...).   And whether you are new here...or an old friend...I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving season...filled with foods you love...and even more importantly, with the people you love.

Sweet Potato Gratin with Apples & Brown Sugar Streusel

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. flour

1/8 t. salt

4 T. unsalted butter

1/2 c. lightly toasted and coarsely chopped pecans (optional)

1 1/2 lb. apples, peeled, cored & cut into ½-inch wedges

1/2 cup apple cider, apple juice or water

1 T. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 T. Brown sugar

4 lbs. sweet potatoes, pricked with a fork

4 T. unsalted butter

1/3 c. heavy cream

1 to 2 T. lemon juice, or to taste

Salt & Pepper to taste

Rub the brown sugar, flour, salt and butter together until the mixture forms clumps.  Add the pecans, if using.

Set aside.  This may be made a day or two ahead—wrap and refrigerate.  Bring to room temperature before using. 

Preheat the oven to 400º.  Place the sweet potatoes in the oven and bake until fork tender—about an hour. 

While the potatoes bake, place apples in a 13x9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish; pour in the cider and distribute the butter evenly.  Sprinkle the brown sugar over all.  Place the pan in the oven and roast until the apples are soft enough to smash with a spoon and the cider is mostly absorbed.  

This will take about 25 to 35 minutes.  Stir the apples half way through the cooking time.  Scrape the apples into a bowl and mash with a potato masher for a chunky purée, or process in the food processor for a smooth purée.  You will have about 1 1/2 cups applesauce.  Set aside.

When the potatoes are done, scoop the flesh out of their skins into a large bowl.  Transfer half of the sweet potatoes to the food processor along with 4 tablespoons of butter.  Purée until smooth.  Add the cream with the machine running.  (If the sweet potatoes seem way to stiff at this point, add a bit more cream...or some milk.) Smash the remaining sweet potatoes with a potato masher or a fork.  Fold in the puréed sweet potatoes and applesauce.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.  If the mixture tastes flat...or too sweet, correct with a touch of lemon juice. 

Transfer the mixture to a buttered 2 1/2 to 3 quart casserole/baking dish.  (The recipe may be completed to this point a day ahead.  Cover and store in the refrigerator.  Bring to room temperature before continuing.)  Scatter the streusel topping over the sweet potatoes and place in a 350° to 375° oven.  Bake until the potatoes are hot through and the topping has crisped.  If the potato/apple purée is still warm this will only take 25 to 35 minutes.  If the purée was made ahead and is at room temperature, it will take 45 minutes to an hour (cover loosely with foil if the streusel is getting to dark).  Serves 8 to 12.

Optional Addition:  Peel, core & dice (about 1/3-inch) 2 medium apples.  Sauté in 2 T. unsalted butter until tender and golden—adding a tablespoon of sugar during the last few minutes of cooking to deepen the caramelization.  Scatter the sautéed apples over the sweet potato purée and then top with the streusel

Printable Version

Apple Fritters...along with a few tips for deep frying

There are several things that might come to mind when you hear the words "apple fritter."  I grew up on donut shop apple fritters—plate-sized masses of lumpy, yeast-raised, deep-fried, cinnamon-scented dough... dotted with chunks of apple and coated with a thick, sugary glaze.  I loved them then, but they are a bit much for me now.  At the other end of the spectrum from this fritter-as-donut concoction is the beignet-style fritter.  With these, the emphasis is on the apple.  Large wedges or rings of apple are dipped in a light batter...and then deep fried.  The batter is important...but it clearly isn't the star....  And as delicious as they can be...they aren't really what I want to eat when I'm in the mood for an apple fritter either. 

The kind of apple fritter that interests me rests somewhere in between these two styles....some might call it a traditional—maybe even home-style—fritter.  These fritters are quick and easy to make—being nothing more than a simple, sweet, muffin-like batter that's full of small cubes of apple and fried by the small spoonful.  If you are familiar with corn fritters...or zucchini fritters...you will recognize this style of fritter.  These apple fritters—like their savory cousins—are loaded with the namesake ingredient.  At the same time, there is still enough of the sweet fried dough to give an admirable impersonation of a doughnut hole.  (In fact, if you choose to scoop the batter with a small ice cream scoop, these fritters are nearly indistinguishable from donut holes.)  They are, I think, the best of both worlds.

My apple fritter recipe is an adaptation of the one developed by America's Test Kitchen.  Their recipes are typically very reliable and I was attracted to their use of apple cider in the batter (instead of milk) to give added apple flavor.  In my version, I substituted sour cream for some of the cider.  I love the flavor and added tenderness that sour cream adds to cakes and muffins.  Furthermore, since "Old Fashioned" donuts (always made with sour cream as far as I'm aware) are probably my favorite donut, I wanted to add it to my fritters.

The only other major change I made is in the way I add the butter.  In the original recipe (and almost every other recipe I have ever seen), the butter is melted and added to the liquid ingredients.  In typical muffin-method fashion the liquid ingredients are then combined with the dry ingredients.  I chose to rub softened butter into the dry ingredients (as you would for biscuits or scones) instead.  I felt like this would aid in inhibiting gluten development (as it does for pâte brisée)—which would in turn help make for a more tender fritter.  In addition, it produces a firmer batter that is easier to scoop into the fryer.  I was very happy with the result...but I'm sure the fritters would be delicious if made with melted butter too.

I suppose that I should admit I'm not a huge fan of deep fat frying.  It tends to be a bit messy...and the house always smells of fried food for a few hours after (no matter how effective your exhaust system).  In addition to all this, deep frying uses a huge quantity of oil.  It has always seemed kind of wasteful to me.  But, there are some things that are worth it....and every so often—for a special occasion—I like to indulge.   

Since I have never posted anything deep fried before, today's post seems like a good place to discuss some basics.  You don't need any specialized equipment other than a candy/deep fry thermometer.  Any appropriately sized sturdy, heavy-bottomed pot or pan can be made into a deep fryer.  It needs to be at least 4 inches deep since you will need to be able to add oil to a depth of 1 1/2 to 2 inches and still have at least 2 inches between the surface of the oil and the rim of the pot.  If the pot is too full, the hot, bubbling oil might overflow...which could cause a fire.   While on the subject of oil: any neutral vegetable oil will work...safflower, canola, refined peanut, and sunflower oil are all good choices. 

Before heating the oil, make sure that you will be able to give the deep-fryer your undivided attention.  Small children and pets hanging around under your feet are a bad idea.  If your pot has a handle, make sure it is positioned away from you so that you won't accidentally bump it and slosh hot oil out of the pan.  Also, make sure you aren't wearing something with loose sleeves...or anything else that could fall into the oil...or snag the pot/pan in any way.  Finally, have everything that you will need ready to go:  whatever you are frying, a wire rack set over a rimmed tray lined with paper towels and a slotted spoon or mesh skimmer for scooping your fried food out of the fryer.

When you are ready to fry, clip your thermometer firmly to the side of the pan and heat the oil over medium to medium-high heat.  For fritters, the oil should be in the range of 350° to 360°.  Hotter than that and the fritters will get too dark before they are cooked through...much lower than that and they will tend to absorb oil as they cook.  Whatever you are frying...and whatever the specified temperature....you will need to keep an eye on the temperature and regulate the heat as you work in order to maintain that temperature.  Don't add too many items to the pan at a time as this will lower the temperature substantially.  Similarly, frying a batch that is too small will allow the temperature to increase dramatically.  (For the fritters in this post, a batch of about 5 or 6 is perfect for a pot that is about 8 inches in diameter.)

When you are finished, turn off the heat and make sure the pan of cooling oil is positioned someplace where it won't be knocked around (a back burner of the stove is ideal).  Let the oil cool completely.  If it hasn't darkened too much, it may be reused.  Strain the oil into a clean container (or the bottle the oil came in, if you used the whole bottle) and store it in the refrigerator until you decide you want to deep fry again.  If it has darkened too much to use again, simply discard (don't pour it down your drain!).

I should point out that you can of course make this batter into very large fritters if you like.  The original America's Test Kitchen recipe does just that (and makes 10 fritters instead of 25 to 30).  I make mine small for a couple of reasons:  First, I just don't want to eat something that large!  It's just too much....  Really.  Secondly, in order to cook such large fritters, you need a lower fryer temperature.  At the higher temperature (used for the small fritters) the large fritters would brown before they were cooked through.  And, as I already mentioned, they tend to absorb a lot of oil at this lower temperature.  I think this makes them almost indigestible.  

After frying, your apple fritters can be finished in a number of ways.  A simple sprinkle of powdered sugar is delicious.  They are also good rolled in cinnamon-sugar.  I think that my favorite though is a cider and powdered sugar glaze.  If the fritters are dipped while they are still slightly warm, some of the thick white glaze will be absorbed as the fritters cool.  Then, when the fritters have cooled and the glaze is set, it has a crystalline, slightly translucent look.  

However you choose to finish them, you should make them and enjoy them on the same day.  I'm not sure I have ever had them last longer than a few hours, but like any fried food, I'm sure they are best when very fresh.  You can do much of the work ahead...mixing all of the liquids in one bowl...and mixing the dry ingredients—including the soft butter—in another.  

Then about an hour before you want to serve them, dice the apple, blot dry and add to the dry ingredients.  Combine everything...and let it rest while the oil heats. 

Fried food doesn’t get much simpler.  If you have never deep fried anything before, these are a fun place to start.  Everyone loves them.  They would make a great addition to a breakfast or brunch...or an autumn or holiday buffet...or as a special occasion treat. 

  

Apple Fritters

2 apples (about 6 oz. each), peeled and cut in a 1/4-inch dice (you should have about 2 cups or 225 grams diced apples)—see note

2 1/3 c. all-purpose flour (280 grams)

1/2 c. sugar (100 grams)

1 T. baking powder

1 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. nutmeg

2 T. soft butter

2 large eggs

1 t. vanilla

1/4 c. sour cream (60 grams)

1/2 c. cider (120 grams)

vegetable oil for frying

finishing garnish of your choice

Spread the apples in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with a double thickness of paper towels.  Pat the apples dry with more paper towels.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices.  Add the butter and using your fingers, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse sand. 

In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the vanilla and sour cream until smooth.  Whisk in the cider.  Add the apples to the dry ingredients and toss to coat.  

Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and using a rubber spatula, mix just until the batter is homogenous, smooth and thick.  Don't over mix.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes. 

While the batter rests, pour the oil into a medium, heavy bottomed pot to a depth of 1 1/2- to 2-inches.  Heat the oil over moderate to moderately high heat until it reaches 350°.  

Working in batches of 5 or 6, use a small ice cream scoop (1 1/2 to 2 tablespoon size), or a mounded table spoon, to carefully drop small dollops of batter into the hot fat.  Regulate the heat as necessary to maintain the temperature of the oil.  Cook the fritters, rolling them over two or three times as they cook (they may roll over on their own), until golden on all sides and cooked through—about 3 to 5 minutes per batch.  Using a slotted spoon or mesh skimmer, transfer the fritters to a rack set over a paper towel lined sheet pan.  Repeat with the remaining batter. 

Let the fritters cool slightly and finish them in one of three different ways.  The fritters may be dipped while they are still slightly warm in a cider glaze. (To make the glaze, whisk 6 T. cider into 3 cups (12 oz.) powdered sugar, whisking until smooth.  Allow the glaze to set before serving.)  Cooled fritters may simply be dredged generously with powdered sugar...or rolled in a mixture of 1/2 c. sugar plus 2 t. cinnamon

. 

The fritters may be served warm or at room temperature.  They are best served the day they are made.  Makes 25 to 30 fritters.

Note:  Fritters may be made with almost any apple—choose tart or sweet...as you prefer.  I like these with Jonathan, but Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Gala or Braeburn would all be good choices too.

(Recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen)

Printable Recipe