Orange & Vanilla Fritters
I absolutely love getting new cookbooks. It’s so pleasant to sit down with a cup of coffee and to explore all the creative arrangements someone has poured into a fresh volume for us all to enjoy. I recently had such an experience flipping through Huckleberry, Zoe Nathan’s new cookbook written with the help of her husband Josh Loeb and her friend Laurel Almerinda.
Page after page I was continually greeted with exciting recipes that begged to made. However, Nathan’s lemon and ricotta fritters caught my attention in a special way—and I thought I’d produce my own version.
I chose orange and vanilla as the primary flavors in this adaptation, and the result is like a cross between a 50/50 bar and a funnel cake—pretty much perfect. And while these are great on their own, I decided to take them one step further with a chocolate dipping sauce which adds one more stage of indulgent deliciousness.
Orange Vanilla Fritters
Barely adapted from Zoe Nathan’s Huckleberry cookbook.
Makes 18- 20 fritters
2 large eggs, separated
½ cup ricotta
zest of 1 large orange, preferably organic
1/3 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 tsp granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ tsp baking powder
2 tbs unsalted butter, melted
powdered sugar for dusting
Equipment: Dutch oven, Candy thermometer
Method
In a dutch oven or countertop fryer heat 3 inches of oil to 375°F
Whisk together the egg yolks, ricotta lemon zest, and milk in a small bowl.
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the egg yolk mixture to the flour mixture, followed by the butter. Stir until just combined. Gently fold in the egg whites.
Using a soup spoon, scoop up to 2 ½ tbs of batter and ease it into the hot oil using another spoon. Fry in batches until golden brown about 5-6 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly on a cooling rack, then sprinkle with powdered sugar.
These fritters will not keep so eat right away.
Chocolate Dipping Sauce
1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 tbs cocoa powder
4 tbs milk, or more if a thinner sauce is preferred
Place the chocolate chips and cocoa powder into a small bowl; set aside.
Place the heavy cream or milk in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Pour the hot liquid over the chocolate chips and cocoa powder. Let sit for 1 minutes then whisk until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, simply whisk in a little extra warm milk until desired texture is achieved.