“I love cheese, especially blue cheese, and I love fritters,” says Matt Tebbutt.
The Saturday Kitchen chef – who has teamed up with ProCook – combines crispy Parmesan fritters with Roquefort spinach for a decadent dish.
Parmesan fritters with Roquefort spinach
Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
100ml full-fat milk
50g unsalted butter
100ml water
125g plain flour
1tsp English mustard powder
2 medium free-range eggs
1tsp chopped thyme leaves
280g Parmesan, grated
200g baby spinach
3½tbsp crème fraîche
3½tbsp double cream
100g Roquefort cheese
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Method:
1. Preheat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180°C, or half-fill a deep, heavy-based pan with oil set over medium-high heat. The oil is hot enough when a small cube of bread dropped into the oil turns golden brown in 40–50 seconds (or you can test the temperature using a probe thermometer).
2. Put the milk, butter and water in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. As soon as it comes to the boil, add the flour and mustard and beat together with a wooden spoon or large whisk to make a thick paste.
3. Take off the heat and allow to cool slightly (if you don’t cool it the mixture may split). Gradually beat in the eggs, thyme and 200 grams of the grated Parmesan.
4. Use a dessertspoon to gently drop each fritter into the hot oil and cook until crisped up and golden. They will take four to five minutes in the fryer, turning frequently. Remove and drain on a plate lined with paper towels and keep warm.
5. Next, heat a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the spinach and cook until wilted down, then add the crème fraîche, cream and Roquefort cheese and cook until the cheese is melted. Finish with the freshly grated nutmeg.
6. To serve, layer the spinach and cheese mixture onto a serving plate, top with the yummy fritters and sprinkle over the remaining grated Parmesan.
Weekend by Matt Tebbutt is published by Quadrille, priced £22. Photography by Chris Terry. Available now.
