Apple Fritter Rings Recipe Gone Wrong
Foodie Sisters in Italy, Benedetta and Valeria, followed a recipe for apple fritter rings and they turned out BAD! Oh no … Mamma Giuliana, help! Do you have a GOOD recipe to share?! We even steeped the rings in rum and lemon zest before dipping them in the batter. What went wrong?
Known as fritelle di mele, our mamma would often prepare them for us when we were kids. So we decided to try the recipe in our trusty Italian cookbook Il Talismano della Felicità which involved dousing the apples in rum and leaving them to marinate before battering and frying. Obviously our mom skipped this step and so should you if you are planning to serve the fritters to children.
At some point, something went wrong. The recipe calls for renette apples which are less juicy and more floury than other varieties, making them less likely to break down during the marinating and cooking procedure. We followed the exact recipe but we weren’t impressed with the final result! Since the recipes in the cookbook have always been successful, maybe we messed up. Or maybe we didn’t! Hmmm…
Why don’t you try making the recipe and see if it works? In the meantime, we asked Mamma Giuliana to give us her personal recipe for apple ring fritters as well. So this time you get a special bonus recipe!
Fritelle di Mele (from our cookbook)
6 apples (Renette or non-juicy variety)
2 tbsp icing sugar
1 glass of rum or cognac
Grated lemon zest
For the batter:
250g all-purpose flour
4 tbsp oil
3 glasses warm water
Vegetable oil, for frying
Sugar, to serve
Peel and core the apples and cut into slices. Place in a bowl with the icing sugar, rum, and some lemon zest. Leave to marinate for about 1 hour, turning a couple of times to allow the flavors to infuse.
In the meantime make the batter, gently combine the flour and water being careful not to overmix, then gradually add the oil. Leave the batter to rest until the apples are ready.
Heat a wide saucepan of vegetable oil until it reaches about 160°C (320°F). Take the pieces of apple and coat them in the batter before dropping them into the hot oil. You will need to cook them in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Once the fritters become golden and crispy place them onto kitchen paper to remove any excess oil and sprinkle with sugar before serving.
Mamma Giuliana’s Version
3 apples
200g all-purpose flour
2 eggs
2 tbsp sugar
100ml milk
1 tsp baking powder
Grated lemon zest
Sugar, to serve
Peel and core the apples and cut into slices approximately 7/8mm wide.
To make the batter beat together the sugar, eggs and lemon zest. Add the flour and milk and mix well then finally stir in the baking powder.
Heat a large pan of vegetable oil until 160°C (320°F), dip the apple pieces into the batter and drop carefully into the oil. Cook for a few minutes until golden then drain on kitchen paper. Carry on cooking in batches until all of the apple pieces are fried. Sprinkle with sugar and serve immediately.
Buon appetite!
