Recipe: Fruit and Vegetable Fritters

FRUIT AND VEGETABLE FRITTERS

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder*
14 teaspoons salt
Dash of ground cinnamon (for fruit fritters)
2 large eggs**
2 teaspoons sugar (for fruit fritters)
2/3 cup milk*
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Fruit (see choices below)
Vegetables (see choices below)

Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together; set aside.

Beat the eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, milk, oil and dash of lemon juice; add flour mixture and stir only long enough to dampen.

Prepare fruit and/or vegetables.

Heat oil in deep skillet or container until about 370 degrees F. Cook fritters until delicately brown, then drain on paper towels. Exact times will vary. Test one piece of fruit or vegetable to get an idea of how long to cook. If batter does not cling well enough, add a bit more flour. A very important point to remember is to have the oil hot enough and keep it at the same temperature throughout cooking.

FRUIT:
- Apples: Peel, core and cut in 1/2-inch slices.
- Bananas: Cut into chunks and sprinkle with lemon juice and sugar.
- Use canned peaches, pineapple etc. by draining; sprinkle very lightly with flour before dipping into batter.

VEGETABLES:
- Cut into equal-sized pieces to keep frying time approximately the same.

*For a thinner coating, add more milk and omit baking powder.

**For a fluffier coating, beat egg whites separately and fold into batter last.

Source: Jo Anne Merrill