Curried Apple Fritters – Fall Flavors

We’re all moved in and the kitchen has been unpacked so I’m back!  We’ve changed seasons since we closed on our new home at the beginning of September and I couldn’t be more happy about it.  I love fall.  One of the reasons I love it so much is apples.  Nothing says fall to me like the overflowing bins of apples in the markets.  There are so many things you can do with apples.  Since I’m just getting settled in the new kitchen I thought I’d ease back in and try my hand at something extremely simple: curried apple fritters.  Simple, yet reflects the new season.  And yes fritter batter is one of those easy to remember ratios.

Over the summer I ate a few different kinds of fritters at restaurants and wondered how easy it would be to make some at home.  As it turns out they are ridiculously simple to make.  According to Ruhlman’s Ratio the basic fritter batter ratio is 2 parts milk: 2 parts flour: 1 part egg.  To this simple mixture you can add pretty much any flavor combination you desire.  I chose apples and curry powder.  A classic pairing of sweet and spicy (though not a hot spicy).  Of course, after making these particular curried apple fritters I came with other ingredients to add to this recipe like pancetta or even some grated cheese.  See, this is what I mean when I go on and on about learning certain ratios.  They give you a blank canvas to experiment with where the only limit is your imagination.

These turned out well and were great with a slice of smoked gouda cheese.  Normally I’m a sharp cheddar cheese with apples guy (New York cheddar if you want to be specific, sorry, love for my beautiful Mid-Hudson Valley still courses through my veins) but the cheddar didn’t work as well as the gouda with the curry flavor.  I’m also a McIntosh apple fan but in this case I used a big Fuji apple because I knew it would stay crisp.  So even if curry-apple fritters aren’t your cup of cider, try the fritter ratio to make your own fall creation!

Curried Apple Fritters (makes 12-15 depending on your sizing)

• 4 oz flour
• 4 oz milk
• 1 large egg (is about 2 oz)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 2 C diced apple (I used 1 large Fuji apple)
• Oil for frying (I used grapeseed oil)

In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and curry powder.  In a separate bowl whisk the milk and egg together.  Pour the liquid into the flour and mix well into a batter consistency.

Add the diced apple and mix well coating all the diced apple with batter.

In a small frying pan add enough oil which will come up about halfway on the fritter.  Small pan = less oil, large skillet = more oil.  Heat over med-high heat until hot.  Be careful.  Scoop up some batter with a large spoon and slide the batter into the pan.  Don’t put too many in the pan.  You don’t want to cool the oil down.  Put 2-3 dollops of the fitter batter in the oil, fry for 1-2 minutes until the edges turn golden brown.

Carefully turn the fritters over and fry for 1-2 more minutes until browned.

Remove from pan and set on a paper towel to cool and drain.  Eat.