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Banana Nutmeg Fritters

Chef Michael's Kitchen • Food • Recipes

Yield: 16-20 fritters

Note: Lard used to be as ubiquitous as olive oil is to Italians and butter is to the French, it is currently enjoying a North American renaissance as an all-natural product that adds incomparable flavour to treats like the fritters

Ingredients

  • For the Fritters:
  • 1 cup of buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ½ cups of flour
  • 2 tsp of baking powder
  • 1 whole nutmeg, grated
  • ½ cup of brown sugar
  • ½ tsp of salt
  • 2 bananas, chopped
  • 1 lb. lard for frying
  • For the Sauce:                      
  • 2 Tbsp of butter
  • ¼ cup of sugar
  • 2 bananas, halved then sliced lengthwise
  • ¼ cup of rum

Method

  1. Pour the butter milk into your blender and crack in the eggs. Pulse once or twice, just enough to combine thoroughly without needlessly aerating the works. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar and salt and blend until a smooth batter forms, scraping the sides once or twice with a rubber spatula. Rest the batter for 15 minutes giving the gluten strands formed with the flour a chance to relax and tenderise.
  2. Transfer the batter into a large bowl and add the diced bananas, mixing well.
  3. Melt a one-inch deep puddle of lard in a large skillet or deeper pot and heat over medium high heat until the fat is 375°F . Carefully drop a heaping tablespoon of the batter into the skillet, repeating, turning and frying until the fritters are golden brown and delicious, 2 to 3 minutes. All the while, keep an eye on the oil temperature striving to keep it between 365°F and 375°F.
  4. For the Sauce:
    1. Preheat your favourite heavy skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Toss in the butter, gently swirling, melting and evenly coating the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the butter and continue cooking until it lightly caramelises here and there, another minute or two. Add the bananas to the pan and sauté, shivering and shaking for a few moments as they warm and absorb flavour. Remove the sizzling hot pan from the heat and away from the flame pour in the rum, swirling and blending. For maximum effect gather your friends and try igniting the rum fumes!
  5. Transfer the sauce to bowls, nestle a few fritters in, serve and share.