COCOA FRITTERS will sweeten your Hanukkah
Not to be rude, but there’s something a little scary about jelly donuts.
It’s not the donut part. It’s not even the jelly part, to be frank. I just don’t like surprises in my sweets. Don’t ever hand me a box of chocolates without a very clear map of exactly what’s in there, and at which precise coordinates.
But let’s return to jelly donuts. As a Jew, I can assure you that Hanukkah can be a trying time for the jelly-donut-averse.
Yes, the holiday is mostly about latkes, and dreidels, and menorahs, and Maccabees, and lights, and miracles, and togetherness, but a small part of it is also about jelly donuts. If you’re like me, I’ve got an alternative: Let’s change the donut to a fritter-style cocoa puff and save the jelly for our morning toast.
Fritters suit the spirit of the holiday since, like donuts, they’re also fried, thus commemorating the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight nights. And with these fritters, there’s no hidden agenda, nothing hiding inside; what you see is what you get, and what you get is sweet, tender, cocoa-y and miraculous, because these really aren’t hard to make.
There are a few keys to a successful
fritter. Use a deep pot, as oil tends to splatter. Fry a few at a time, so as not to overcrowd the cooking vessel. Use a thermometer (maintain a cooking temp of 375 degrees or thereabouts). Drain on paper towels to absorb excess oil. And serve immediately, dusting generously with powdered sugar and more cocoa. Fritters wait for no one, and no one should wait for fritters. (These tips, aside from the dusting part, are applicable to most frying applications, including latkes.)
Yes, fritters are a bit nontraditional, but traditions — and desserts — are allowed to evolve over time. Even in Israel, dessert and pastry offerings are pushing boundaries. I visited earlier this fall and was surprised by what I found, sweets-wise. In addition to classic French pastries (all manner of croissants, macarons
and brioche) and Middle Eastern and Arab specialties like baklava and kanafe (shredded dough with cheese and sweet syrup), I was served some unusual concoctions: pistachio ice cream with phyllo and candied eggplant, an almond milk flan with hibiscus and pomegranate, a kiwi-white chocolate truffle infused with jasmine tea.
Granted this was way before Hanukkah … they’ll probably be serving sufganiyot — OK, fine, that means jelly donut — this week, too, but that doesn’t mean I have to follow suit.
So grab a deep pot, a bottle of vegetable oil, two bowls, a whisk and a mesh strainer. Gather friends, light a menorah (or just some candles) and celebrate the cocoa fritter, a puffy sweet with nothing but itself lurking in the center. Happy Hanukkah!