Regina Fritters

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Piping bag with ½-inch (12 mm) plain tip
• •Two parchment-lined baking sheets
• •Small paring knife
• •Three shallow coating dishes
• •Wire cooling rack and rimmed tray
• •Heavy 4-quart (4 L) saucepan
• •Deep-fry thermometer
• •Spider or slotted spoon
• •Small fine-mesh sugar sieve

Instructions

1. 1

   Pipe and bake domes

   Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F), or 165°C (330°F) with a fan, and line two baking sheets with parchment. Fit a piping bag with a ½-inch (12 mm) plain tip and fill it with the Lady’s-finger Biscuit Paste (No. 2378). Holding the tip upright, pipe at least sixteen compact round mounds, each 1½ inches (4 cm) across, building them slightly upward rather than spreading the paste in a spiral. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the domes are pale biscuit-gold, spring back under a fingertip, and peel cleanly from the paper. Cool them completely on a rack; warm sponge tears when hollowed.

2. 2

   Hollow, fill, and pair

   Turn each cold dome flat-side up. With the point of a small paring knife, remove a neat plug from the centre and gently hollow the biscuit, leaving a shell about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Save the crumbs. Stir the apricot jam until smooth, warming it only enough to loosen it, then cooling it again before use. Fill every cavity level with jam and press matching domes together in pairs to make eight balls. If a dome cracks, mix a pinch of the reserved biscuit crumb with jam and press it over the crack from inside. Let the joined balls stand for 10 minutes so the jam grips the seams.

3. 3

   Soak, then drain fully

   Combine the fresh cream and maraschino in a narrow bowl without whipping them. Lower two biscuit balls into the cream at a time, spooning it over the tops and turning them gently for 3 to 4 minutes, until they feel distinctly heavier and the seams have absorbed cream. Lift them with two spoons onto a rack set over a tray. Drain for 10 to 15 minutes, turning once. The centres must remain saturated, but the surfaces should feel damp rather than slick. If a ball becomes dangerously soft, chill it uncovered for 10 minutes before handling; the cold firms the soaked crumb without undoing the soak.

   A puddle forming beneath a ball means it is not ready for breading. Give it another five minutes on the rack. Soaking is the pleasure of the dish, but draining is what keeps its crust attached.
4. 4

   Coat à l’anglaise

   Arrange the flour, the Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174), and the very fine breadcrumbs in three shallow dishes. Roll each drained ball lightly in flour and shake off every excess, coat it completely in the anglaise, then roll it through the crumbs without pressing hard. Set the coated fritters on a clean rack for 10 minutes so the crust settles. If the coating slides away, stop; the surface is still too wet. Drain the ball for another five minutes, dust the bare place with flour, then patch it with anglaise and crumbs. Ça se rattrape.

5. 5

   Heat the frying fat

   Pour the oil into a heavy 4-quart (4 L) saucepan, giving yourself about 2½ inches (6 cm) of depth while keeping the pan no more than half full. Heat it to 180°C (355°F), checking with a deep-fry thermometer. Set a rack over a tray beside the stove before you begin; once the crust colours, there is no time to search for somewhere to put it.

6. 6

   Fry to deep gold

   Lower two fritters at a time into the hot oil with a spider or slotted spoon. Fry for 75 to 90 seconds, turning gently, until the crust is evenly deep gold and crisp. The biscuit is already baked, so this frying is for the resisting crust and a warm centre, not prolonged cooking. If the first fritter remains pale after 30 seconds, lift it out and let the oil return to temperature; if it darkens before you can turn it, lower the heat. Allow the oil to recover fully between batches.

7. 7

   Drain, sugar, and serve

   Hold each fritter over the saucepan for a few seconds, then drain it on the rack for 2 minutes. Arrange the fritters on a clean folded napkin set over a serving platter and sift the icing sugar generously over them. Serve warm, while the crumb is crisp and the maraschino cream remains tender inside. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Prepare the Lady’s-finger Biscuit Paste (No. 2378) and Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174) from their own entries, then weigh only what this home batch needs. Their separate preparation is part of the canon’s family system, not work to bury inside this recipe.
• •Use very fine fresh crumbs from day-old pain de mie or another close-grained white loaf. Pulse and sieve them, but do not toast them. Panko makes a coarse, spiky shell where this fritter wants a close and delicate coat.
• •Maraschino is the clear cherry liqueur, not the red syrup from cocktail cherries. Its almond-like cherry-stone aroma is the intended flavour; kirsch is drier and sharper, and it changes the dish.
• •Apricot gives acidity as well as sweetness and remains the first choice. The source permits another smooth jam, so seedless raspberry or redcurrant may stand in honestly when apricot is unavailable.
• •The source leaves the frying fat generic. Refined peanut or sunflower oil is the honest home equivalent because either holds the required heat without imposing a flavour on the cream and maraschino.
• •Drain on the rack before moving the fritters to their serving napkin. The napkin is presentation, not grease disposal, and should reach the table nearly spotless.
• •Serve with coffee or a small glass of demi-sec Champagne. The fritters already carry liqueur, fruit, cream, and sugar; they need contrast, not another heavy sauce.

Advance Preparation

• •Bake and cool the biscuit domes up to one day ahead. Keep them airtight at room temperature once fully cold; a slightly rested sponge absorbs the maraschino cream evenly.
• •Hollow, fill, and join the domes up to four hours before serving, then cover them and keep them cool. Do not soak them yet.
• •Set out the flour and breadcrumbs earlier in the day, and prepare the serving rack and platter before frying. Soak and coat the fritters only during the final hour.
• •The coated fritters may rest uncovered in the cold for up to 30 minutes before frying. They are not good keepers once cooked, because the crisp crust slowly surrenders to the cream-soaked centre.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 235g)