Corn Fritters, Sweet or Savory

How many of you got your Cinco de Mayo celebrations off to an early start over the weekend? We sure did, and it was deliciously fun! Last week I asked what sort of recipe you would most like to see as a last minute option to add to your menu, and the results were nearly split down the middle. Half of you wanted an appetizer while the other half wanted dessert. Never fear, we can kill two birds with one stone. Enter corn fritters. Depending on what you dip them in, these little babies can work as either an outstanding appetizer or an extremely excellent dessert. We went both directions with three different dipping sauces but the possibilities here are nearly endless.

I made a chipotle lime sour cream sauce, jalapeño infused honey, and also included some pureed blueberry sauce that was left over from another baking project. These would also be stellar with guacamole, a tomato-based salsa, tomatillo salsa, avocado cream sauce, raspberry jam, and the list goes on. If you wanted to make the sweet route even sweeter, consider tossing the fritters in powdered sugar before serving like a powdered sugar doughnut. We all LOVED these. All of the sauces worked so well, but if forced to choose a favorite, I’d have to go with the jalapeño honey. Though I haven’t tried it, I suspect you could fry these in advance and then rewarm later to crisp up a bit in the oven. I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

Yield about 2 dozen fritters

Ingredients

For the fritters:

1 cup (4½ oz) all-purpose flour
¼ cup stone ground yellow cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ cup whole milk
¼ cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 cup fresh corn kernels (from about 2 cobs)
1 to 1½ cups vegetable or canola oil, for frying

For the jalapeño-infused honey:

½ cup honey
½ jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced

For the chipotle lime sour cream:

½ cup sour cream
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1/8 tsp. ground chipotle powder
Pinch of coarse salt

Directions

01
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt. Whisk to blend. Add in the milk, sour cream and eggs. Whisk until evenly combined and all dry ingredients are incorporated. Fold in the corn kernels. Let the mixture stand for 10-15 minutes.
02
Heat the oil in a large cast iron or other heavy skillet over medium heat until hot enough that a small dollop of batter sizzles when added. Scoop in drops of batter 2-3 teaspoons at a time, spacing them out evenly to avoid crowding the skillet. When the bottom is just golden, flip gently and continue to cook until evenly browned and golden. Use a slotted spoon to remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve warm.
03
- For the jalapeño-infused honey: Add the honey to small skillet over medium-low heat. Add in the jalapeño slices. Let cook until the honey is warmed through and lightly spiced, about 10-15 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed to avoid simmering.
- For the chipotle lime sour cream: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk to blend until evenly combined.

Source

fritters from Fine Cooking