Cherry Fritters (c. 1923) ★★★★★

12:00 AM 1920s , 20th century , 5 stars , dessert , fruit , interwar , united states 1 Comments

Something different in the way of dessert can be had by making cherry fritters according to the accompanying recipe.

Sufficient to serve six.

1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup cherries cut into halves

Mix and sift the dry ingredients, add the milk and egg, and beat all together well. Add the melted butter and fold in the cherries. Drop by spoonfuls into hot fat and fry until brown. Remove from the fat, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve.

The Verdict:
Forget six, this recipe fed two! Mr. Man and I just inhaled these. But I got 12 golf-ball sized fritters, so if you're portioning out two per person, I suppose the recipe would feed six. They were really tasty. I was hoping for a fluffier inside though, so perhaps I should have whipped some more air into the batter. I also used closer to 3/4 cup of cherries, and even that was a tiny bit less than I would have liked. But overall, a winner!

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Volume 5)

1 cup FLOUR
2 tablespoons SUGAR
2 teaspoons BAKING POWDER
1/4 teaspoon SALT
1/2 cup MILK
1 EGG
2 tablespoons UNSALTED BUTTER, melted
1/2 to 3/4 cup CHERRIES, pitted and chopped in half
OIL, for frying
POWDERED SUGAR, for dusting

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Meanwhile heat about an inch or two of oil in a fry pan (I originally started with just a bit of oil, which resulted in a pancake-like shape. More oil will allow for a rounder fritter).
2. Add the milk and egg and whisk until well combined.
3. Whisk in the melted butter and fold in the cherries.
4. When the oil is hot, drop in about one tablespoon of batter for each fritter (don't overcrowd the pan), using an ice cream scoop or a spoon.
5. Let the fritters cool and sift or sprinkle powdered sugar over the top.