Twice now I’ve made a mistake when offering these fritters to people who are picky eaters. I used the full name of ‘Ricotta Fritters’ to which they replied, “I don’t like ricotta,” after crossing their arms and declining the offer. Both times I bullied the naysayers (both adults, I might add) into trying them and their eyes popped over just how good they are. In fact, the whole plate of them disappeared very quickly.
These are essentially donut holes that you can dip into any one of our maple syrups. The ricotta doesn’t add much flavor, it just makes them very light and moist. They are even the rare donut that still tastes fresh the next day. I’ve paired them here with Whiskey Barrel-Aged Maple but they would be delicious dipped into whichever is your favorite.
So call them donut holes or fritters or Sunday morning fried bliss, but leave out ‘ricotta’ in the name and these will be a household favorite.
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Vegetable oil for frying
WhistlePig Rye Whiskey Barrel Aged Maple Syrup or other Runamok Maple Syrup
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a medium sized bowl. Add the ricotta, eggs and vanilla and stir to combine. Batter will be fairly thick.
Heat a few inches of oil in a medium sized pot until a crumb of batter sizzles when dropped in. Using two spoons, take a tablespoon of batter and gently lower into the oil. Repeat until there is one layer of fritters. Fry until the underside is golden, 2 -3 minutes and then turn with a pair of tongs to cook the other side. When both sides are brown and the interior is fully cooked, another few minutes, remove to a rack placed over a sheet pan to let any excess oil drip off.
Once slightly cooled, put some of your favorite Runamok maple syrup in a small bowl, dip the fritters in and enjoy.
