A Finer Fritter

One of the best and fun recipe is the simple fritter.These are pure fun both to eat and make ,whether they're savory or sweet.If you're worried about eating anything deep fried, there is a solution.It's less oil which produces a crisper, fritter.The recipe is an easy one too so any one from novice to home chef can make a batch of these yummy treats. The recipe comes from my bisnonna, my Piedmontese great grandmother.It's a simple and easy recipe that comes from the Val Susa not far from where the Turin Winter Olympics were held.Start with one egg mixed with one tablespoon of olive oil, and a cup of water.The dry ingredients are a cup of flour and a good pinch of sea salt.Beat well and chill for one hour at least. I then dipped male squash flowers in the batter and fried them for only a few minutes. The flowers should be fresh picked.A warning about them: they can be hard to come by.Not many farmer's markets or specialty grocery stores carry them.The best way to get fresh picked squash flowers is to grow squash yourself.It's a relatively easy vegetable to grow and if you let the flowers become squash then you have double the use.With sushi itself , you can also turn it into fritters.Some recipes call for the squash to be chilled.before dipping into batter.I found for a really crisp fry , use a quarter of a cup of olive oil along with a tablespoon of butter or margarine.Mostly everyone in my family uses butter,This is a standard in Piedmontese cooking. I prefer. Both the taste and result of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.My spin is two tablespoons,.It imparts more flavor on the final product and, the combo of oil and this amount gives the fried squash fritters a really lovely golden hue.You can sub in tomatoes or even asparagus when it's in season.For asparagus ,parboil first before battering. This fritter batter can be used for fruit too.The batter is slightly altered with the addition of a tablespoon refined sugar.However this really isn't necessary because the fritters are usually sprinkled with powdered sugar after frying.My Nonna and Mom made and (and still make) the fritters using cored apple slices.This gives the fritters a nice doughnut shape with a hole in the middle.I have seen the recipe with cubed apples ,as was done on a recent rerun of America's Test Kitchen.Use whatever works for you.The apples should be washed and dredged in flour frost .This produces a crisper fruit, since cooking will bring out the apple's water content.If not done, you could wind up with a mushy middle.The only apple to use is the Granny Smith.It has the perfect texture and taste for this.If you want .You could add some cinnamon to the batter for more zing.This batter can also be used for banana fritters.Cut the bananas in half and then lengthwise.Dip in batter and fry.For the fruit, use corn or grape seed oil, not olive oil.Again,dust with sifted confectioner's sugar or service with a warmed chocolate sauce. Fritters are always a fun treat.They are easy to make as is the batter.Whip up a batch ,whether savory or sweet for some good eating.