Serious Eats: Recipes
Sunday Brunch: Crisp Cinnamon-Dusted Banana Fritters
Oh, how I do love fritters for Sunday brunch. In fact, it's safe to say I've never met a fritter I didn't like, for Sunday brunch or any other meal, for that matter. If I see fritters on a menu, be they savory or sweet, bam, I have to order them. So when I discovered Susan Spicer's recipe for Cinnamon-Dusted Banana Fritters in Crescent City Cooking (featured all this week in Cook the Book) I knew immediately that it was destined to be a Sunday Brunch entry. Bananas in particular take to frittering (if frittering isn't a word, it should be) because of their soft, creamy texture.
Crisp Cinnamon-Dusted Banana Fritters
- makes 24 fritters -
Adapted from Crescent City Cooking
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon plus a pinch of salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 eggs, separated
2/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon corn oil
3 bananas, 1 mashed, 2 diced (about 2 cups)
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Cinnamon sugar (1/2 cup sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon), for rolling
Procedure
1. Sift the flour, baking powder, 1/4, teaspoon salt, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a large bowl. Add the egg yolks and 1/3 cup of milk, and stir to· form a smooth paste. Stir in the remaining 1/3 cup of milk and the corn oil. Add all the bananas and mix until the batter is smooth. Allow the batter to rest 30 minutes.
2. Beat the egg whites and the pinch of salt with an electric mixer (or by hand) at high speed until they form stiff peaks. Fold the whites into the batter.
3. Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a deep skillet or pot over high heat until it reaches 350°F (the oil should start bubbling pretty quickly when you drop a small amount of batter into it).
4. Drop spoonfuls of batter gently into the oil and fry, turning once or twice, until well browned on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove the fritters from the oil and drain on paper towels. While the fritters are still warm, roll them in cinnamon sugar and serve.