 Photo by John Ivanko The key to delicious rhubarb fritters: cutting the rhubarb into small bites. |
The early warm weather this May gifted our farm with a more-bountiful-than-usual rhubarb patch. Having already worked through our usual rhubarb repertoire of muffins and coffeecakes on our B&B guests, we took this tangy, red springtime garden treat to new levels this weekend by whipping out the fryer.
Think apple fritter but with rhubarb. Think about the perfect combo of vernal indulgence: tart with a dash of sweet, piping hot, and bite-sized. We made rhubarb fritters for Saturday afternoon snacking, but they would also work very well for a breakfast bread dish.
Our tip for the best possible rhubarb fritters: Chop the rhubarb as finely as you can so it integrates with the batter and your bite isn’t overwhelmed with a chunk of rhubarb. We used kitchen shears to cut the rhubarb into tiny pieces. Flip the rhubarb fritters halfway through cooking to get them nice and crispy brown on each side. (In our fryer this was about four minutes on each side.) These work best with fresh rhubarb to keep the firmness of the fruit; frozen rhubarb will work but will tend to water down the batter.
And remember that cardinal rule of indulgence: Go a little wild and then get back to life as usual. For these rhubarb fritters, that means inviting friends and savoring the entire batch fresh and warm. Cold, day-old fritters are not the leftover of choice. Then it’s time for our “post-fritter springtime workout” at the “garden gym,” weeding and transplanting our way to a justification for harvesting more rhubarb for another batch!
Recipe: Rhubarb Fritters
Yield: About 2 dozen fritters
Ingredients
- 1? cups sugar, divided
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 eggs, separated
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 T. butter, melted
- 2 cups finely chopped, fresh rhubarb
- confectioners’ sugar
Preparation
In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, milk and melted butter. Gradually add egg mixture to dry ingredients, and stir until smooth. Toss rhubarb with remaining 1/8 cup sugar, and stir into batter.
In a separate small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold egg whites into batter.
In a deep-fat fryer or electric skillet, heat oil to 375 degrees F. Drop tablespoons of batter into oil and fry, approximately three to four minutes on each side.
Remove fritters from oil and drain on paper towels. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve warm.
Savoring the good life,
