Apple Fritters

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •¾-inch (2 cm) apple corer or metal tube
• •Heavy 3-quart saucepan
• •Deep-frying thermometer
• •Wire skimmer or spider
• •Wire cooling rack and two rimmed metal trays
• •Fine-mesh sugar sieve

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pâte à frire

   Put ¾ cup of the flour and the salt in a bowl, making a well in the centre. Whisk the egg with ½ cup of the cool water and the melted butter, then pour this gradually into the well while whisking outward until smooth. The pâte à frire should run from the whisk in a narrow ribbon and leave a fine coat on a spoon, not sit like pancake batter. Let it rest for twenty minutes while you prepare the apples; the rest hydrates the flour and lets the batter settle.

   Hold back the extra flour and water until you test the first apple. Fruit, flour, and egg vary, so the final spoonful is an adjustment, not a guess.
2. 2

   Shape and macerate

   Push a ¾-inch (2 cm) apple corer or metal tube straight through each apple to remove the core and pips. Peel the apples, then cut them crosswise into roundels about ⅓ inch (8 mm) thick. Lay the rings in a shallow dish, sift the powdered sugar over them, and spoon over the rum or brandy. Turn gently to coat and macerate for twenty minutes, turning once halfway through. Longer is not better here; too much time draws out enough juice to soften the fruit and loosen the batter.

3. 3

   Dry the roundels

   Pour the oil into a heavy 3-quart saucepan, making certain the pan is no more than one-third full, and heat it to 350°F to 355°F (175°C to 180°C). Set a wire rack over a rimmed tray and preheat the broiler with an oven rack about 6 inches (15 cm) below the element. Lift the apple rings from their syrup, let them drain briefly, then blot both faces and the cored centres with a clean towel. They should feel tacky but show no beads of liquid. Dip one test ring into the batter. If the coat retreats in bare streaks, wipe it off, blot the apple again, and re-dip. Ça se rattrape. If a thoroughly dry ring still sheds the batter, whisk in the reserved flour one teaspoon at a time; if the coat sits too heavily, loosen it with reserved water the same way.

4. 4

   Fry in batches

   Dip two or three apple rings in the pâte à frire, lift them one at a time, and let the excess fall away for a moment. Lower each ring carefully into the fat, away from your hand. Fry without crowding until the underside is deep gold, about two minutes, then turn and cook the second side for another one to two minutes. A thin knife should enter the apple without resistance. Keep the oil between 345°F and 355°F (174°C and 180°C). If a fritter comes out pale and oily, pause and let the fat recover before continuing; if it darkens before the apple softens, lower the heat slightly. Drain every batch on the wire rack, clearing stray batter from the oil before it burns.

5. 5

   Glaze under broiler

   Transfer the drained fritters to a clean, unlined metal tray in a single layer. Sift the icing sugar generously over their tops, then slide them under the fully heated broiler. Watch without looking away. In fifteen to thirty seconds the sugar should dampen, bubble, and melt into a thin glassy glaze. Pull the tray as soon as that glaze forms. If a few patches remain white, return the tray for five seconds at a time; once sugar scorches it turns bitter, so this is quick work, not waiting.

6. 6

   Serve at once

   Pile the beignets loosely on a warm platter so their crisp edges are not pressed flat. Serve them within ten minutes, while the batter still gives under the teeth and the apple remains tender inside. They need no sauce, spice, or decoration; the rum-scented fruit and glazed sugar are complete. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Russet describes the rough brown skin carried by several apple varieties. Golden Russet, Roxbury Russet, and firm russeted reinettes are excellent here because their flesh stays distinct after macerating and frying. If none is available, choose a firm, tart baking apple rather than a soft eating apple.
• •Use a thermometer. A small saucepan of oil loses heat quickly when wet fruit enters it, and colour alone cannot tell you whether the apple will soften before the batter drinks the fat.
• •Rum gives the warmer, fuller aroma specified in the request; brandy gives a drier fruit note and is equally faithful to the source. Do not add cinnamon or lemon. Pleasant as they may be, they move attention away from the prescribed apple, spirit, and sugar.
• •The frying oil can serve again. Cool it completely, strain it through a fine sieve, and refrigerate it in a closed container for another sweet preparation. Keep it away from fish or onions unless you want your next fritter to tell a very strange story.
• •These are at their best directly from the broiler. If they must wait, leave them uncovered on a rack and refresh them in a 375°F (190°C) oven for five minutes, then apply fresh icing sugar and glaze.

Advance Preparation

• •The flour and salt can be measured earlier in the day. The pâte à frire can rest, covered and chilled, for up to two hours; let it stand at room temperature for fifteen minutes and whisk gently before testing its consistency.
• •Core, peel, and slice the apples immediately before macerating. Do not leave cut apples waiting dry, and do not extend the sugar-and-rum maceration beyond thirty minutes, or they release too much liquid for the batter to grip.
• •Set out the draining rack, glazing tray, icing sugar, and serving platter before heating the oil. Once frying begins, the beignets should move straight from fat to rack, glaze, and table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 230g)