Quick recipe:
FRITTELLE DI CILIEGIE
/ CHERRY FRITTERS
(Makes 24)
200g plain flour
3tsp baking powder
120g sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
1 egg
180ml full-cream milk
Splash of Alchermes or rum (optional)
200g fresh cherries, pitted and roughly chopped
Vegetable oil, for frying
Salt
Method:
Place the flour, baking powder, two tablespoons of the sugar, the lemon zest and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Stir together briefly, then add the egg and milk, whisking until you have a smooth batter, rather like pancake batter. Add a splash of Alchermes, if using, and stir through the cherries. Place the rest of the sugar in a small bowl.
Pour enough oil into a small-medium saucepan so that the fritters can float. Heat over a medium heat to 160C, or until a cube of white bread dropped into the oil turns golden brown in about 15 seconds.
Give the batter a stir in case the cherry pieces have fallen to the bottom, then drop a tablespoon of batter into the hot oil and fry evenly, turning to cover all sides, until deep golden brown, about two and a half to three minutes (see Note). They will puff-up into walnut-sized fritters. Aim to cook several at a time, in batches. Transfer the cooked fritters to a wire rack lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil for a moment, before rolling the fritters - still hot - in the sugar. These are best eaten warm, right away.
Note: These fritters should be fried rather slowly, so they cook all the way through – if the temperature is too high, they will brown too quickly and remain raw inside. You might want to sacrifice the first one or two fritters by looking inside to ensure they are cooked through to the centre. Once you have the temperature stabilised and the timing right, frying these fritters is a cinch. It's a good idea to scoop out any little drops of batter that have fallen into the oil before they burn, and to replenish the oil about halfway through.
:: Taken from Tortellini At Midnight by Emiko Davies, published by Hardie Grant Books, priced £25. Photography Lauren Bamford and Emiko Davies. Available now.
