A New Year's delight: fresh apples with honey.
For the Jewish New Year, which is called “Rosh Hashanah,” (literally “the head of the year”) Jews wish one another a sweet New Year. Many special foods for the New Year feature honey as an important ingredient. For Ashkenazic Jews (who trace their roots to Eastern Europe) apples are also a popular New Year’s food. The ultimate combination is apple slices dipped in honey, which are often eaten during the evening and luncheon meals on both days of Rosh Hashanah.
Desserts are plentiful during this holiday period. One of my favorite apple desserts are apple fritters. My mother often made them for brunch during the winter when my brother and I were growing up. Her recipe, like many of my mother’s best recipes, originally came from the first edition (second printing) of “Betty Crocker’s Picture Cookbook,” published in 1950 by General Mills and Mc-Graw Hill. This classic American cookbook has some of the best recipes for desserts and baked goods that I’ve ever come across.
Apple fritters should be eaten almost as soon as they’re made, but the batter and the apples can be prepared in advance . Here is the recipe.
Apple Fritters
Ingredients
2 eggs
½ cup milk
1 cup sifted flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon (my addition.) (More to taste if desired.)
1 tsp. vanilla (my addition.) (More to taste if desired.)
1 tsp. of melted sweet butter or light cooking oil (safflower or canola.)
3-4 apples, cored and cut in slices so that they appear to be “rings.”
Note: if preparing in advance, put apples in water with the juice of a lemon to keep them from turning brown.
Directions
Beat the eggs. Stir in the milk. Sift the dry ingredients. (Note: the flour should be sifted in advance before sifting it again with the baking powder and salt. If adding cinnamon, add it at this stage also.) Beat in the butter/oil and the vanilla. If the batter seems too thick, slowly add more milk until the batter will lightly coat the apples. One by one, dip the apple slices in the batter and set aside on a rack or plate. When all are coated, heat several inches of a light oil (i.e., Canola) in a pot or deep frying pan to 375 degrees or until a drop of batter begins to fry. There should be enough oil so that all the apple slices will be covered when frying. Carefully add the apple slices and deep fry until brown. Turn the slices from time to time so that they cook evenly. When done, drain on paper towels. Serve immediately, sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar, white sugar, honey, or maple syrup. If you have to hold the fritters before serving them, warm the oven and lay the cooked apples on a cookie sheet which has been covered with paper towels. Keep in the oven on “warm” until serving.
Enjoy!
Rabbi Jo David 