Elderflower Fritters
When I was a little kid, I lived down the road from 4 girls around my age in one family – the Caterbones. Their mom was a really good cook. There was often a spot at the table for me. Mrs. Caterbone made corn fritters, delectable nuggets of sweet corn held together with light batter, and served with King’s Table Syrup.
We make fritters with lots of spring flowers, because we can! Violets, dandelion, rose petals, and now elderflowers become the ingredient of honor. They make a nice side dish for a holiday meal or brunch. They’re ready for Memorial Day here. They are a simple, elegant and memorable treat.
Choose nice full embels.
I separate them into smaller pieces, according to how they grow. Often the stems are left on the flowers so
that they are easy to maneuver. Rinse
them well and give any critters a moment to escape. Pat dry.
Note: small amounts of stem, especially
cooked are safe to eat.
Mix up the batter. I
like a thinner batter for elderflowers, to let the flavor through.
1 c flour
1 t baking powder
2 eggs
½ c milk
½ c water
1 t vanilla extract (omit for savory fritters)
½ t salt
Mix until smooth and free from lumps.
Heat about 1/4” of oil in a frying pan.
When it’s hot, dip elderflowers in batter and fry until golden brown.
You will need to flip them, so hopefully you have thin, pliable stems. Otherwise, snip and flip.
Drain oil on paper towels. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.
Yesterday Cindy Jones of Colorado Aromatics suggested adding
lilacs to drinking water for flavor.
That put a bee in my bonnet, and I sprinkled some lilacs over the
battered embels on the way to the frying pan.
Very tasty. It has me thinking about adding all kinds of things to the batter.
They really are a delicious treat!
If you have leftover batter, fry some batter-dipped sage leaves.
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