Frittelle di Mele alla Valdostana
One of the highlights of spending the holidays in Aosta, in Italy's far northwestern corner, was visiting the little Christmas market that the town set up in the ruins of a Roman theater. It was as picturesque as it sounds, with the Alps and the ancient stone facade of the theater serving as the market's backdrop, and wooden kiosks lined up shoulder to shoulder selling everything from locally made ceramics and soaps to Russian nesting dolls. There was corny Christmas music piped in from speakers placed around the grounds and a large fire pit that radiated warmth and light.
Not surprisingly, my family and I gravitated to the stalls selling food and drinks ~ bowls of hot polenta with fonduta ladled on top, cups of spiced vin chaud, a local herbal liqueur called Génépi, and hot, golden apple fritters dusted liberally with powdered sugar.
One of my Christmas gifts was a book on cucina Valdostana. Cabbage, chestnuts, winter squash, and polenta ~ not to mention cheese ~ all figure prominently, as do apples. And as luck would have it, the book contains a recipe for apple fritters. I was intrigued by the recipe, which calls for wine in the batter, and when we got home I thought I might recreate the ones we enjoyed at the market. I followed the recipe as written, and the result, I'm sorry to say, was disappointing. Apple slices carry lots of moisture, and they retain heat. And so, while the fritters tasted great, those beautiful golden rings turned soggy and flabby within moments of being fried.
In an odd but happy coincidence, I happened to find a similar recipe for apple fritters while flipping through a cookbook on the food of Provence, which I've had for years but have only used a couple of times (too many cookbooks; too little time). Since we spent the latter part of our Christmas break in Provence, this seemed a good sign. The Provençal recipe called for macerating the apples in a little sugar and Calvados before frying them. I did not have Calvados, but while rummaging around my pantry I came across an old bottle of Virginia apple brandy, which stood in nicely (any brandy, rum, or even lemon juice would make a good substitute).
I made some adjustments to the batter, reducing the amount of egg and increasing the amount of flour a bit, until I had a version I thought could stand up to the apples. Finally, instead of dusting the fritters with confectioners' sugar, I rolled them in granulated sugar, which helped them to keep their texture.
Like a lot of fried foods, these batter-fried apples will only hold their crispiness for so long, so serve them hot if that is what you are aiming for. However, I let a few of them sit out on a plate and even after several hours, though no longer crispy, they were still delicious, plush but not at all soggy.
I know, I know, January is supposed the be the month of diets and resolutions. But in Italy it is also a period in which fried treats are enjoyed guilt-free, as Carnevale and Lent draw near. So fry away.
Other fried treats:Chiacchiere (fried pastry ribbons); Castagnole (chestnut flour and apple fritters)
FRITTELLE DI MELE ALLA VALDOSTANA
Use firm, tart apples such as Gold Rush (if you can find them) or Granny Smith. They will keep their shape during frying, and the tartness welcomes the crunchy granulated sugar in which the hot rings are dipped.
Wooden chopsticks are helpful when dunking the apple rings in batter and sliding them into the hot oil.
Makes 20 to 25 apple rings
Ingredients
1 cup (130 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup sparkling water
1 egg, separated
2 pinches of fine salt
4 to 5 firm, tart apples such as Gold Rush or Granny Smith
Granulated sugar
2 tablespoons apple brandy
Sunflower oil for frying
Instructions
1. Measure the flour into a bowl. Whisk in the wine, water, and egg yolk (reserve the white). Whisk in a pinch of salt. Cover and let rest about 1 hour.
2. Peel and core the apples; cut them into 3/8-inch-thick rings. You should get about 5 rings per apple. Spread the apples out on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle them lightly with granulates sugar and then brandy. Let them macerate for 1 hour.
3. Heat the oven to 300° F.
4. When the batter is ready, whip the egg white: place it in a stainless steel bowl and add a pinch of salt. Whip until it holds stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg white into the batter.
5. Pour oil to a depth of 2 inches into a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan large enough to hold 2 or 3 apple rings. Heat on medium-high to 375° F or until a drop of batter sizzles and puffs up upon contact with the oil.
6. Pat the apple slices dry. Dip a slice into the batter and coat it well. Use a wooden chopstick or skewer to lift it through the core hole and transfer it to the hot oil, allowing some of the batter to drop off before carefully lowering it into the oil. (I find a second chop stick handy in helping to guide the apple slice into the hot oil without making a splash.) Fry the apple slices two or three at a time, turning them once or twice, until golden on both sides. With a slotted spoon or wire spider, transfer the slices to a paper towel-lined platter or tray. Place the tray in the preheated oven and continue to fry the apple slices.
7. Pour about a cup of sugar into a shallow bowl. Gently dip the apple slices in the sugar, coating them thoroughly. Serve the apple slices hot, warm, or at room temperature.