Portuguese apple fritters
“Seasons' change brings the desire to retreat into the kitchen, to make delicious cake and dessert treats in the family tradition.”
- 3 apples, such as Golden Delicious or Gala
- 3 tbsp castor sugar
- 60ml Anise del Mono or Sambuca
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup castor sugar
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1½ cups plain flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- vegetable oil for frying
Harking back to other simple, honest, old-world dishes, these Portuguese-style fritters are delicate, light, crunchy bubbles of fried batter encasing sweet, anise flavoured apple rings. They're delicious - just try stopping at four or five.
Method
Peel, core and thinly slice apples in rounds of about 3mm. Sprinkle with sugar and pour over the anise liqueur. Toss and allow to stand for 1 hour.
In a bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, milk, olive oil and cinnamon. Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix until combined. Leave to stand for 30 minutes. The mixture should then be a thick batter - if too thick adjust with a little more milk.
In a frying pan, heat enough oil to shallow-fry the apples. When the oil is very hot, dip the apple slices, one at a time, into the batter, remove and gently slide into the hot oil. Cook a few at a time, until puffed and golden brown, turning once.
Drain on paper towels and dust with icing sugar.
To serve
Arrange on a platter and serve immediately with either whipped cream or ice-cream (or you can just eat
them as is, which is the way I love them).
