Fritters and Waffles
Frittersare served as a vegetable or a sweet, for a lunch, dinner, or supper, according to the ingredients used in making them. Whether sweet or plain, the foundation batter is much the same, and, with some additions, the first receipt given in this chapter can be used for many kinds of fritters. By the use of Royal Baking Powder a fine fritter batter may be stirred up in a moment, and a meal which it may be thought necessary to extend, perhaps because of unexpected guests, can be embellished by the addition of a delicate and tasty dish.
A fritter batter which is to be used as a medium for whole or sliced fruit should be quite thin, as it is to serve as a cover for the fruit. When chopped fruits or vegetables are stirred in, or the batter is to be used plain, it should be thick enough to retain its shape when dropped by spoonfuls into the frying-kettle. The fat should be deep enough to cover the fritters, and it should be smoking hot when used. Each fritter will at first sink to the bottom of the kettle; then, as the heat starts the baking powder into action and the dough begins to swell, it will rise to the surface, and should be gently turned, the turning to be repeated until the fritter is finely colored. Most fritters are done within five minutes, the time needed to cook them being determined by one which should be cooked as a tester.
The very word “waffles” brings to our minds a host of pleasant recollections. The only drawback, in the old days, was that they must be started so long before they were ready for the irons, for home-made yeast took time to raise the batter to the requisite degree of lightness. Now, by the use of Royal Baking Powder, they can be prepared in five minutes. They are better than of old, too, for there is no yeasty taste to them; they are light, tender, and toothsome, and, what is most important, entirely digestible and wholesome.
Plain Fritter Batter.—1 cup flour, ½ teaspoon Royal Baking Powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 eggs, 1 cup milk. Sift dry ingredients together; add beaten eggs and milk; beat till smooth.
Apple Fritters.—4 large sound apples, peeled, cored, and cut each into 4 slices, ½ gill wine, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon extract nutmeg. Place slices of apples in bowl with sugar, wine, and extract; cover with plate; set aside to steep two hours, then dip each slice in plain fritter batter, fry to light brown in plenty of lard made hot for the purpose; serve with sugar.
Fruit Fritters.—Any kind of fruit may be made into fritters, as directed for apple fritters. Whole canned fruits, drained from syrup, may also be used. Apples and other fruits may also be prepared, coarsely chopped, stirred into a plain fritter batter, and dropped by small spoonfuls into smoking hot fat, finishing as already directed.
Banana Fritters.—Peel bananas, cut in lengthwise slices. Let them steep an hour with sugar and lemon juice, dip in fritter batter, and fry as directed for apple fritters.
Corn Fritters.—To 1 pint scraped corn add ½ cup milk, ½ cup flour, 1 tablespoon melted butter, 2 beaten eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, ⅓ teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon Royal Baking Powder. Beat well, and fry in small spoonfuls as directed.
Clam Fritters.—Wash and dry 25 good-sized clams or 2 strings soft-shell clams, discarding black part. Chop fine. Make a plain fritter batter, using the clam liquor (or that and milk) in place of milk. Stir in the chopped clams, season well with salt and pepper, and fry as directed.
Oyster Fritters.—Substitute oysters for clams as in above receipt.
Pineapple Fritters.—Sprinkle half-inch slices of fresh pineapple with sugar and sherry; let stand 1 hour. Dip each into plain fritter batter, drop into deep kettle of smoking hot fat, fry brown. Drain on paper and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Strawberry Fritters.—Crush and sieve fresh berries to make 1 cup pulp. Add 3 beaten eggs, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 cup flour mixed with 1 teaspoon Royal Baking Powder and enough more flour to make thick drop batter. Fry in deep kettle of smoking hot fat, and serve with plenty of mashed berries.
Meat Fritters.—Cut cold cooked meat in slices or fingers and dip in batter; or chop and stir into the batter, seasoned with salt, pepper, and herbs or chopped onion, as desired. Fry as directed.
Rice Fritters.—1 cup rice, 1 pint milk, 3 eggs, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 tablespoons butter. Boil rice in milk until soft and all the milk is absorbed, then remove, add yolks of eggs, sugar, and butter; when cold add whites, whipped to dry froth; drop in spoonfuls in plenty of lard, made hot for the purpose; fry them deep buff color. Serve with cream, wine or lemon sauce.
Hominy Fritters.—To 1 pint hot boiled hominy add 2 beaten eggs, ½ teaspoon salt, dash of pepper, ½ cup milk. When cool add flour to make a thin drop batter, and 1 teaspoon Royal Baking Powder. Beat and drop in hot fat by small spoonfuls.
Waffles.—Sift together 1 quart flour, ⅓ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder. Rub in ⅓ cup butter. Add 3 eggs, whites and yolks beaten separately, and sufficient milk to make a thin batter. Cook in hot greased waffle-irons.
Waffles, 2.—1 quart milk, 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder mixed with 3 cups flour, 1 cup melted butter, ½ teaspoon salt, whites and yolks 6 eggs, more flour to make thin batter. Bake at once.
German Waffles.—1 quart flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons sugar, 2 large teaspoons Royal Baking Powder, 2 tablespoons lard, rind of 1 lemon, grated, 1 teaspoon extract cinnamon, 4 eggs, and 1 pint thin cream. Sift together flour, sugar, salt, and powder; rub in lard cold; add beaten eggs, lemon rind, extract, and milk. Mix into smooth, rather thick batter. Bake in hot waffle-iron, serve with sugar flavored with extract of lemon.
Soft Waffles.—1 quart flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder, 1 large tablespoon butter, 2 eggs, 1½ pints milk. Sift together flour, salt, sugar, and powder; rub in butter cold; add beaten eggs and milk; mix into smooth, consistent batter that will run easily and limpid from mouth of pitcher. Have waffle-iron hot and carefully greased each time; fill ⅔, close it up; when brown turn over. Sift sugar on them, serve hot.
Rice Waffles.—Into a batter as directed for soft waffles stir 1 cup of rice, free from lumps; cook as directed in same receipt.
Virginia Waffles.—Cook ½ cup white Indian corn meal in 1½ cups boiling water 30 minutes, adding 1½ teaspoons salt. Add 1½ cups milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons melted butter, 2 cups flour mixed with 2 heaping teaspoons Royal Baking Powder, and 2 eggs, whites and yolks beaten separately. Cook in hot, well-greased waffle-iron.
Jolly-Boys.—Mix and sift together 3 cups rye meal, 1 cup flour, ½ cup Indian corn meal, ¼ teaspoon powdered cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Add 1 beaten egg, 2 tablespoons molasses, and sufficient cold water to make a thick batter. Drop by small spoonfuls in a kettle of smoking hot fat, and cook till brown.
(Decorative Design)