A Healthier Peach Fritters Recipe (VIDEO)

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The most irresistible peach fritter recipe is here for you!

It is peach perfection. Warm, soft inside, crispy outside, filled with a great amount of ripe summer peaches. These babies get pan-fried until they reach golden brown perfection. And the final touch is a wonderful sweet glaze, made with ricotta cheese and maple syrup. These fritters take it over the top.

If you are a lover of peaches like I am, check out these recipes:

Peach Clafoutis. Easy, light, Summer Dessert

Inna's Peach Pie

WHAT IS A FRITTER?

A fritter is usually a deep fried yeast based pastry very similar to a doughnut.

Sweet fritters are typically filled with fruit creating wonderful bites of varied texture and savory fritters are filled with meats, fish, shellfish, mushrooms, herbs, cheese or vegetables.

What makes my recipe of dough different? & What makes it healthier?

These fritters are composed of only 4 components:

The PEACHES, the DOUGH, the OIL and a GLAZE!

Let me take a moment to discuss each component.

ON PEACHES FOR PEACH FRITTERS

My initial actions of digging deeper into the food of this region, the place where all my babies were born, caused me to be introduced to and develop relationships with farmers, neighbors, friends, and thus have successfully connected to my children's heritage.

Every blog I have featured a particular local food weaving a story as to how I created a recipe.

And so it goes with today's highlighted ingredient: peaches. One day my neighbor knocked on my door and offered me a nice box of peaches. I accepted this box of peaches and my cooking with them began 10 minutes later and continued until the last peach was used. Thus began my true love affair with peaches.

A few times this summer, we traveled to peach orchards. What a beautiful sight to behold; rows and rows of small trees with bending branches from the weight of the glorious fruit begging to be picked and the aroma infiltrating your nostrils with the scent lingering in the air a mile away! Glorious peaches ready and ripe!

A PEACH PIT HAS A SEED

You know that peaches are stone fruits. Inside every peach is a hard stone like pit and inside of it is a kernel called a bitter almond or noyaux. Did you know this could give you an ingredient called almond extract or rather homemade almond extract? This stark white kernel is also used to flavor amaretto but isn't tasty to eat on its own like its cousin the almond.

HOW TO BUY PEACHES?

I have had my hands swatted more than once at a farmer's market for squeezing the peaches. It is true that by pressing a peach gently to see if its flesh gives is one way to determine its ripeness. I think that relying on its smell is key; if it's fragrant, it's probably not only ripe, but right.

Peaches ripen at room temperature in two to three days; refrigerated they remain slightly unripe for about 2 weeks without lessening terribly in quality. Farmers almost never sell ripe peaches to vendors because they bruise easily, so don't feel cheated if you have to go home and set your peaches out on the counter for a few days. Go to the farmer's market is my favorite thing to do, please check out this video: My usual visit to farmer's market.

ON DOUGH FOR PEACH FRITTERS

By reading my blogs, you should know that it is my passion to eat the way God intended, this means consuming unprocessed fresh foods and with appreciation!

Almost everywhere in the world people eat fermented foods on a daily basis. They often eat them for breakfast, no doubt because after a night of sleep the body needs something that is rapidly and easy to digest. This practice of domestic fermentation still occurs in the 3rd world but has almost disappeared in industrialized countries, under the influence of Western lifestyles and eating habits.

Traditional methods for preparing grains, nuts, and legumes supply those factors that nature uses for neutralizing phytic acid so they can grow.

Soaking whole grains and flour in a cultured milk, called kefir or yogurt or warm acidulated water activates enzyme phytase, which then neutralizes phytic acid. Very much like sourdough starter in bread.

This step I usually do overnight; in the morning I have a beautiful spongy dough that is easy to digest and ready to meet the peaches.

ON GLAZE FOR PEACH FRITTERS

This scrumptious recipe for peach fritters is so easy to make and will surely brighten up your mornings. Traditional fritters dipped in a sugary glaze making them melt-in-your-mouth amazing! But what about a healthier glaze?

I'm offering you a no less delicious glaze made from just two ingredients:

Ricotta cheese and maple syrup. You can include vanilla extract but I think it isn't necessary.

Just with a whisk, combine the two ingredients together and VOILA, you are about to experience the most creamy, sweet and definitely better for you glaze to pair with your fritters.

In this recipe I used homemade ricotta cheese. The very traditional way to make a ricotta cheese is to make with leftover whey from cheese making (I believe I made a Halloumi cheese the day before). But normally I'm using this recipe for making the most delicious ricotta cheese. Or use a good qualify whole milk store-boughed ricotta cheese.

WHAT OIL SHOULD I USE TO FRY PEACH FRITTERS?

The traditional way to cook fritters is by deep-frying. I found that they are better prepared when pan-fried.

You will need to use oil with a high smoke point such as avocado, grapeseed, etc.

I used coconut oil and they came out perfect, in fact the coconut oil complimented the coconut sugar that I used as a sweetener for the peaches. Another one of my choices was using clarified butter, which is butter without protein and water solids. You can purchase it in every supermarket these days or make your own.

Tips for a healthier peach fritters

• Don’t over mix the dough - Only mix enough in order to combine the ingredients. This prevents the fritters from becoming tough, plus peaches won't realize as much juice into the batter.

• Keep the frying oil at a consistent temperature - Use a kitchen thermometer in the oil to monitor the temperature and keep it at around 375 degrees. This will ensure the fritters cook just enough without burning.

• Don’t overcrowd the pan - This can cause the fritters to cook unevenly and drop the oil temperature drastically. I usually only do 3-4 at a time, but it depends on the size of your pan.

• Absorb excess oil after they’ve cooked - After the frying the peach fritters, place them on paper towels so that the excess oil will be absorbed as they cool. This prevents them from becoming greasy and soggy.

Let's do it...

Prep time: 10 minutes

Inactive time: 8-12 hours

Cook time: 20-25 minutes

Total time: 8-12 hours & 30-35 minutes

Author: Inna of innichkachef.com

Serves: 18 fritters or more depending on the size

Ingredients for the fritters

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups plain kefir (buttermilk or plain yogurt)

1 teaspoon pink salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)

Pinch of cinnamon or cardamom (optional and I didn't use in the video)

2 cups peaches chopped no need to peel (3-4 peaches)

4 tablespoons of coconut sugar

Oil for frying (I used coconut oil in the video)

Ingredients for the glaze

3/4 cup ricotta cheese (I used homemade in the video, see notes above)

or crème fraiche

1/3-1/2 cup maple syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

• First make a sponge, and for that, mix the first two ingredients (flour and kefir, cover and leave at room temperature for 8-12 hours), depending on the temperature in your kitchen, minimum 6 hours is required if your kitchen is warmer than 70F. This sponge should be bubbly and spongy.

• To the chopped peaches add sugar and mix until all peaches are coated.

• Heat the oil, and the perfect temperature should be 375F. Even for pan frying the temperature of the oil and the size of the pan is important. I used a cast iron pan.

• Now fold the chopped peaches into the sponge. Don't overmix.

• Using a cookie scoop or two spoons, place one fritter at a time and do so away from yourself to avoid any splashing of the oil. Cook for 2-3 minute per side.

• Fish them out with a spider or slotted spoon and lay them on paper towels.

• For the glaze, whisk together the two ingredients (ricotta cheese and maple syrup), and then generously pour over the fritters, leaving some on the side.

Enjoy right away!

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