Apfelchuechli - Swiss Apple Fritters

These light and delicious fritters are a specialty of the Restaurant Aeschenplatz, an old Basel institution.  Earlier this year I had an excellent lunch there and these fritters, along with some excellent vanilla ice cream and some whipped cream, were my dessert.

The secret to good apple fritters is cutting the apples thinly enough so that the slices will cook in the amount of time it takes for the surrounding batter to bake through.

Makes about 12 fritters

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup milk

1 large egg

1 tablespoon melted butter

Grated zest of a small lemon

2-3 tart apples, such as Granny Smith

2-3 cups vegetable oil for frying

Cinnamon sugar

1/3 cup sugar well mixed with 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. For the batter, stir the flour, sugar, and baking powder together in a medium bowl.
2. Whisk the egg, milk, butter, lemon zest, and salt together and whisk into the dry ingredients smoothly. Cover and set aside to rest for an hour.
3. When you’re ready to start frying the fritters, begin heating the oil in a large pan such as a deep Dutch oven, on low heat.
4. Peel and slice the apples, and then use a small cutter to remove the center core.
5. Increase the heat to medium and heat the oil to 350 degrees.
6. Dip 2 or 3 apple slices at a time into the batter and drain them slightly, using tongs. Slip the batter coasted apple slices into the hot oil and cook on both sides until the batter is dark golden and the apples are cooked through, about 2 or 3 minutes.
7. Drain the fritters on absorbent paper and toss them with the cinnamon sugar before serving.