Fritters - QUick And Easy Treats

It's summer and th elast thing anyone wants is a complicated dish. It's too hot to create complicated dishes and then cook them. That's why fritters come in so handy. These quick fry treats can be made sweet or savory. They can make the perfect appetizer, main dish or dessert. They're easy and tasty - perfect for any summer gathering.

Fritters have been around since Roman times. Dough, made of flour and egg whites was tossed into hot fat and fried until crisp. The great Roman writer,Cato, had written about these treats then called scribilita. Medieval Europeans enjoyed a similar treat aptly called a "Cryspy". They were filled with wine(how?) along with eggs and cream. Towards the 18 th Century the French started to put the dough now named choux into pastry bags to form tubes called bugie .The Americans loved this and recreated this tasty sweet fritter renaming it the cruller".

Fritters are a great and fun way of using summer's bounty. Kids may not want to eat veggies yet they'll go mad for zucchini or corn fritters with a dipping sauce. Zucchini or any squash can be cut up in a food processor them mixed in a simple batter of egg and flour with a splash of milk. Corn fritters are a little more complicated with shortening and baking powder added. You can also add Bisquick since it has baking powder in it already. You can use the same kind of batter to make apple and banana fritters.As for the actual frying, vegetable oil is the best.It has the lightest taste and makes for a nice crispy, crunchy texture.

Fritters are a great dish that can easily be made during these sweltering days. Try make savor y ones for dinner or sweet ones to accompany ice cream. Either way they're a fast and troublefree- perfect for summer time!