Fried Apple Fritters with Lemon Glaze

I was in the mood for something sweet and tangy.  Having just returned from vacation Saturday, I did not have much in my refrigerator, except a small bag of home-grown apples.  I reflected on the corn and zucchini fritters I'd made previously (see earlier posts, please) with Maria, and decided I could use apples to make a similar fritter.  Well, gentle readers, I think I "done good".  My "Fried Apple Fritters" is an exceptionally simple and quick way to use some of those autumn apples you will inevitably buy or receive within the next few weeks during apple season.  Let's get right to it.  

The Starting Line-Up:  

4 Granny Smith Apples  (they are sturdy, but you could use whatever apples you like)

1 1/4 cups Bisquick or All-Purpose Flour

2 tablespoons powdered sugar and....

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Zest of two lemons, separated

Juice of two lemons, in one bowl

2 eggs

1/4 cup oil, vegetable or canola (I used canola oil)

What you will need in your kitchen

1 large cutting board

1 sharp culinary knife

1 cheese grater

1 microplane

1 small bowl

1 medium bowl

1 whisk

1 large bowl

1 ice cream scooper (recommended)

1 fry skillet

1 spatula

1 cooling rack or baking sheet lined with paper towels

What to do

Place your cutting board on a non-skid place.  You might notice a towel under my mom's cutting board (I made these at her house).  Her counter top is slippery and the plastic cutting board is not stable;  for safety, your cutting board must be stable.  Just sayin'.   

Using your hand-held grater, or microplane, or the smallest grate of the cheese grater, zest the washed lemons.  Separate the zest, placing one part in to the small bowl, and one part into the large bowl.  Juice the lemons, and squeeze the juice in to the small bowl.  

Wash the apples and begin grating them.  This is the longest part of this entire recipe, so you can imagine how quickly this whole thing will go.  Place the grated apples, apple-by-apple, onto the large baking sheet lined with paper towels to soak up the apple's moisture.  Sprinkle a little lemon juice from the small bowl over the apples to keep them from browning. When you are done grating, discard the cores, and, using another double-ply sheet or two of paper towels, mop up the extra moisture from the apples.  

Place the grated apples in to the large bowl that has half of the lemon zest in it already.  Add three tablespoons of your lemon juice to the large bowl.  That should leave you with about three tablespoons in the small bowl.  Now, add two tablespoons of powdered sugar to the apples.  Stir together.  Add the cinnamon and stir.  Afterwards, add half of the flour or Bisquick, and stir.  Add the rest and combine, thoroughly, so it makes a dough.  Note:  Monitor the flour, adding little-by-little, as you may not need the whole amount, depending on the size and yield of your grated apples. 

Set the large bowl in the refrigerator to cool and set.  In the meantime, you can get to work on the sugary lemon glaze.  Add the remaining juice and zest to the medium bowl and get your whisk.  Add 1 cup of powdered sugar, in increments, to the juice, whisking as you add.  When the glaze is a bit thick and a light, yelllow-white, your glaze should be right.  Taste to make sure it is still not overly lemony.  If it is, add a little more powdered sugar.  Whisk thoroughly.  When your glaze is about right, set that into the refrigerator, as well.  

 Add the oil to your skillet over medium-high heat, and get your ice cream scooper ready.  Using the same baking sheet from earlier, re-line it with two layers of paper towels to soak up the excess oil from frying the fritters.  If you have a cooling rack, you can place that over the baking sheet, placing the paper towels on the rack. 

 The oil should be good and ready by now. If it is rippling in the pan, it is ready for frying.  This is a thin sheen of oil across the skillet; we are not deep-frying.  Using the ice cream scoop, scoop out a ball of the apple dough and carefully drop it into the oil.  Repeat, leaving about two inches between each fritter.  You do not want to crowd them to ensure thorough cooking.  After about three minutes, the fritter should be golden-brown on the frying side. Flip the fritters and, using your spatula, gently press down.  When the next side is

 Tip:  Use an ice cream scooper to get fairly uniform sized fritters.

When the fritters are golden brown, flip them, and gently press with your spatula. 

Place the fritters on two sheets of paper towels in the baking sheet.

When the fritters have finished frying, take out the glaze and drizzle the aromatic, decadent glaze over the plated fritters, and serve.  Whether your want it for a snack, an appetizer, or a meal, this takes little time and effort, and will throw a party on your taste buds and in your tummy on a chilly autumn day. 

Enjoy!

Thanks for viewing!!!