Trio of Farmer's Market Mushroom Fritters with Mint-Cilantro Dipping Sauce

We've got you covered in the fritter recipe department for a while.

This Recipe Swap around, three of us each redeveloped Fern's Fried Apple Fritters (history of the swap here) into three completely new and different dishes, which is exactly why I love this project.  Lindsay from rosemarried made a rustic corn fritter.  Toni, from BoulderLocavore made a gluten-free fritter.  I went to the Santa Monica Farmer's Market, ran into the mushroom guy and resolved to make a trio of fritters with all the mushrooms I came home with. As usual, we each had a blast communicating with each other over the weeks, divulging little sneak peeks of our discoveries to one another.  Please check out everyone's recipes and let each of us know what you think! And as always, if you want to join in on the next swap, just let me know.



Trio of Farmer's Market Mushroom Fritters with Mint-Cilantro Dipping Sauce

This dough comes together like a pate a choux dough, meaning it's really wet, then it's really dry, then it falls apart, then it comes back together.  So, keep after it. It ends up being a lovely soft dough to work with. I would suggest making the dipping sauce first (below) to get it out of the way.

Serves: 4-6 as appetizers, makes about 18 fritters.

Equipment:
8" Cast iron skillet for frying
Truffle shaver or Microplane
Blender for dipping sauce

Ingredients:
Canola oil for frying

Dough
1 cup milk
2 large eggs, room temperature, separated
1 Tbsp. + 1 Tsp. dark muscovado sugar (or dark brown sugar)
1 cup AP flour (I used organic Gold Medal)
1 Tsp. baking powder
1 Tsp. salt

Add-ins
Fritter #1:
1 small black truffle, about the size of a nickel, shaved paper thin
2 Tbsp. finely chopped sage

Fritter #2:
1 small white truffle, about the size of a nickel, shaved paper thin
1 ounce finely diced smoked cheddar cheese

Fritter #3:
2 oz. black trumpeter mushrooms (about ten), rough chopped
2 Tbsp. finely chopped mint

Method:
Prep all Add-ins for the fritters and set each combination aside into three medium-sized bowls.

Pour 1/4 to 1/2" depth of canola oil into cast iron skillet and begin heating on medium heat for frying.

Dough:
Heat milk, egg yolks and sugar in small saucepan on stovetop.
When steaming but before boiling, add in flour, salt and baking powder, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon.  Remove from heat.
When the dough seizes together, add in egg whites and stir gently by hand until dough falls apart and continue until it comes back together, about a minute.
The dough will be very sticky and lumpy at this point. If a scoop of it will fall off the spoon when lifted, add more flour until the dough will hold onto the spoon.
Split the dough into thirds across the three bowls of ingredients, mix thorougly and hold for frying.

 

Using a tablespoon, scoop a rounded measure of dough, help it down carefully into the oil using your finger and test your oil by sacrificing this fritter to the fry gods.  The fritter should brown on one side in about a minute and a half, turn, brown on the other side for a minute and a half or two minutes for a total of three to three and a half minutes.  If burny smell, oil's too hot. If pale fritter and too few bubbles, it's too cool.  (Who needs culinary school when you can master techniques like these?)

Fritters don't like to be fussed with too much.  Ideally, you will turn them only once, and carefully, with a heat-safe spatula.  When fried through to a light tan on the sides, turn out onto a paper towel-lined plate to drain.  Continue with five or six fritters in the pan at one time, making note of which fritters are which if you're doing a trio.

Serve warm.

Notes: Yes, I have a truffle shaver. It's great for shaving hard cheese. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  Trust this dough. It looks like a hot mess until it comes together in the end, but is then utterly delightful to use. My favorite fritter was the black trumpeter and mint. I assumed it would be the black truffle and sage but mint and mushrooms now goes on the list of favorite food duos. I also tested apple and cheddar, also a lovely combination for this recipe. 


Mint-Cilantro Dipping Sauce (inspired by Bobby Flay)

Serves: 4-6 as an appetizer sauce

Equipment:
Blender

Ingredients:
1 cup packed cilantro leaves
1 cup packed mint leaves
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp honey
1/2 clove garlic
salt to taste
olive oil to emulsify, about a quarter cup, more if you want a thinner sauce.

Method:
Add all ingredients together in blender until thickly emulsified with olive oil, about a minute.