A Selection of Fruit Fritters

from

The Cookbook of Sabina Welserin

Author's notes: This is the text from a presentation I made at the Kingdom A&S competition in

The Joy of Cooking includes three types of foods in its definition of fritters; deep-fried batters, deep-fried batter covered foods and shallow or pan fried batter covered foods.  A wide variety of foods that could be called fritters are recorded in period cookbooks. Assorted batters and doughs, meats, fruits, vegetables and cheese are all included in these recipes. 

Since I have been delving into period cookbooks The Cookbook of Sabina Welserin has become one of my favorites.  Sabina puts a date of 1553 on her cookbook, although some recipes were collected earlier (one is specifically dated to Jan 25^th, 1548) and many were added later, possibly by an heir. This hand-written German manuscript is a wide-ranging collection taken from a variety of sources.  Some sources are specifically named and several recipes can be traced to other cookbooks.  Sabina herself spent at least some time in the kitchens as noted in several of the recipes.  She was a member of the Welser family, wealthy entrepreneurs based in Augsburg with close ties to the aristocracy.

Sabina’s cookbook contains a wide variety of sweet dishes. Pastries especially fried ones were a favorite in German cookery.[1]  Besides the fruit fritters dealt with here, there are twelve other fried pastries, including several versions of strauben (funnel cake) and rosettes in the collection. In fact, nearly half of the recipes in the manuscript are for dishes that would be at home on a dessert menu. These include fruit, nut, and custard pies, puddings and custards, and baked and fried pastries. Many of these recipes are recorded in multiple distinct variations.

The five fruit fritter recipes include four made with fresh fruit; three versions of an apple fritter and a sour cherry fritter. The fifth fritter is a very different entity. It specifies dried pears and coats them with a pea-based batter.  Along with the lack of eggs or milk in the batter, this leads me to believe it is a fast day recipe.

Fritters would have most likely been served in a final course or as entremets just prior to the last course.[2] These lighter and often sweeter dishes work well after the heavier roasts. Best served immediately these quickly cooked dishes could be brought to the table as needed.

Making a Fritter- The method for mixing the batter is similar for each of the fresh fruit fritters. Combine the wet ingredients, except for the eggs, add the dry ingredients and mix until you have a smooth thick batter. Continue beating with a spoon or whisk until you see some blistering or bubbling in the dough. Thin the batter with the eggs until you get the proper consistency for fritter batter.  This should be a fairly liquid batter that will sheet from the spoon in ribbons, and coats the fruit completely but not too thickly. Fry immediately, and drain.  The dried pear fritter has additional challenges that I will detail later. More specific notes on the individual recipes are included with my reconstructions to follow.

Three Apple Fritters-

The most obvious difference between recipe no.101-apple puffs, Recipe no. 140-apple pillows and recipe no.166-puffed apples (rings) is the manner in which the apples are cut; sliced thin, quartered or sliced crossways into rings. The batter for the apple puffs and apple pillows are composed of the same ingredients, water, flour, eggs, with salt specified in the apple pillow recipe. Without precise measurements it is difficult to show any differences in the batter.  However, the cooking medium specified makes a great deal of difference in the finished product. Apple puffs (recipe 101) calls for frying them in butter, which adds much sweetness to the finished product.  Apple pillows (recipe 140) specifies fat for frying and also indicates a deep-fry method. The third version, puffed apples (recipe 166), is also fried in hot fat.  This third batter differs with the substitution of (scalded) milk instead of water.

A Sour Cherry Fritter-

The cherry fritter (recipe 165) sits side by side in the manuscript with the puffed apple rings, which may indicate they came from the same source. Additionally the two recipes are quite similar in language. The batter for the cherry fritters is differs from the apple batters with the addition of fat and the reliance on egg whites only for the leavening (although it does indicate a variation including egg yolk). Fresh cherries with stems are indicated by the instruction to tie them together. Stoning the cherries is not mentioned but seems like a logical step.

An Exotic Pastry-

This fritter recipe was most likely designed as a fast day dish.  Pea broth is a common substitute for meat broths in fast day recipes. The absence of egg or milk in the batter is further confirmation. Since dried pears are called for it could be served in Lent when fresh pears would have been out of season. As a fast day dish this cannot be cooked in butter or animal fat. Several oils could have been used.  Olive oil was available but not as commonly used in the northern countries.  Almond, walnut or poppy seed oils were commonly used in Germany. The recipe also indicates that the fritters should be served with a sauce, which is not indicated in the fresh fruit fritters.

The Recipes

For the English translations of the recipes I have relied on the work of Valoise Armstrong. Her translation has been published privately in conjunction with Cariadoc’s Miscellany and is available on line.

101 To make apple puffs

Then put flour in a bowl and put some fresh spring water therein. It should not be too thin. And beat the batter very carefully, thin it after that with eggs, and when you put the thin apple strips in the pan of butter, then shake the pan well, then they rise up.

Apple Puffs (Modern redaction)

• 1 cup sifted flour

• 2/3 cup of water

• 1 egg

• 1or 2 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin

• Butter (and a little oil)* for frying

Sift flour before measuring. (Sifting the flour helps ensure smooth blending and aerates the flour for a lighter batter. When using wholegrain flours, it reduces coarseness.)  Blend flour and water till smooth and beat until you see small bubbles or blisters forming in the dough, beat in egg. Melt butter in a skillet.

Dip apples slices in batter one at a time (The apple slices need to be dipped one at a time otherwise they stick together and do not get coated properly.) and fry in hot butter. Watch temperature of butter carefully as it can burn easily.

  *(Adding some mild flavored oil to the butter will raise the scorching point of the butter and help prevent burning. While I cannot prove this as a medieval technique, it is the sort of trick that might have been passed along from cook to cook.)

140 Apple pillows

Take good apples, peel them and cut them into four pieces. Take flour, eggs and water and salt, make a batter, not too thin, pour the apples into it and put fat in a deep pan. When it is hot, put the pieces into the fat, until the cake rises, let it fry slowly.

Turn it, let it also fry on the other side, then it is good.

Apple Pillows (Modern redaction)

• 1 cup sifted flour

• 2 eggs

• ¼ tsp salt

• ½ cup water

• 5-6 apples, peeled, cored and cut into quarters

• Fat for frying

Sift flour before measuring; blend flour, salt and water together, beat until it blisters, beat in eggs. Dip apple quarters in batter and fry until golden. Drain and serve warm.

To bake puffed apples

Take milk with a little water in it and heat it well, until you can still just stand to dip a finger into it. Make a firm batter with flour, beat it until it bubbles, lay eggs in warm water and thin the batter with them. Cut the apples in circles and as thin as possible, draw them through the batter and coat them with it. Shake the pan, then they will rise. And the fat should be very hot, then they will be good and rise nicely.

166 To bake puffed Apples  (Modern redaction)

• 1 ¼ cup whole milk*

• ¼ cup water

• 2 cups flour

• 2 eggs room temp

• pinch of salt

• 3-4 apples

• fat for frying.

Scald or microwave milk and water together for 1 minute. “until you can just stand to dip a finger in it.”  Add flour and salt (1/4 cup or less at a time, whisking to mix smooth keep whisking till you have some blistering like bread dough beat in warm eggs one at a time. Batter should start to ribbon off spoon but break up.

Core, peel and slice apples crossways into thin disks. (Some other medieval recipes refer to this as “in the manner of the host”)  Heat fat till hot.

Dip apple slices one at a time into batter and slip into hot fat, fry till golden, flipping halfway through, drain on towels, serve hot.

It is very important to dip slices one at a time rather than dumping all into batter at once. Otherwise they stick together and you don’t get batter on all sides.

*Or you could substitute 1 ½ cups low-fat milk and omit water.

165 To bake sour cherry puffs

Take hot water, lay fat the size of a walnut into it, and when the fat is melted, then make a batter with flour, it should be thick. Beat it until it bubbles, after that thin it with egg whites. If you like, you can also put a few egg yolks into it. Tie four sour cherries together, dip them in the batter and fry them. Shake the pan, then they will rise. The fat must be very hot.

Cherry puffs (Modern redaction)

• 2 tbsp lard or other fat

• ½ cup hot water

• 1 cup sifted flour

• 2 egg whites

• 1 pound sour cherries. (See notes)

Melt lard in hot water. Beat in flour in small increments. Dough will get very stiff and clumpy, thin with egg whites. (Make sure to have some extra ingredients on hand. This batter has a tendency to thicken as it sits and you may need to adjust the viscosity)

Dip cherries into batter in 3-4 at a time to make small fritters. And fry till lightly browned.  This batter stays light colored.

Notes on cherries: The original calls for fresh cherries with stems to be tied together in bundles of 4.  If you can get them fresh go for it. You may pit the cherries or leave the pits in, but be sure to warn your guests.  Pitting the fresh cherries is difficult to do while retaining stems, but it can be done with practice.  Frozen or canned/jarred cherries work just fine. Thaw and/or drain well before dipping in batter.

145 An exotic pastry

Take dried pears. Wash one and one half ounces of peas, cook them, strain them, take a handful of grated bread, make a batter with the pea puree, turn the pears therein to coat them and fry them. Make a sauce, however you would best like to have it.

Dried Pear Fritters for a Fast Day. (Modern redaction)

• 1/3 cup dried peas either yellow or green.

• 2 + cups water

• 6-8 dried pears (halves)

• mead or wine

• ¼ -1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs

• oil for frying

• flour for dredging fruit

Place pears in bowl and cover with mead or wine, leave to soak overnight. (While the recipe does not specifically call for reconstituting the pears without this step the results were dismal. Water will do the job to reconstitute the pears but does not add anything to the flavor, soaking the pears in wine changed the dish from ‘Why am I doing this to ohh’.  I’ve used a homemade mead but white wine would do as well and red wine is a traditional pairing with pears. Another recipe calls for cooking dried plums in wine for a pie[3]. ) Drain and reserve liquid for sauce below.

Rinse peas. Combine with water in saucepan and cook over medium heat until peas are completely soft. Add more water and salt as needed. (Soaking the peas overnight will reduce the cooking time.) Push cooked peas through a sieve or grind in a food mill. Add breadcrumbs. Adjust texture of batter as needed. You want a fairly thick batter but you should be able to pour it off the spoon rather than have it drop in clumps. (I am still not completely satisfied with this batter. A lot of it falls off the pears as they cook.)

Dredge the pears in a little flour and roll in the batter.

Heat oil in skillet. Oil needs to be very hot. You need at least one inch of oil. Fry pears turning once.  You are looking for some crunch bits on the batter. Drain and serve warm with sauce. In contrast to the other fritters this one is not a finger food.

Many sauces can be found in medieval cookbooks but most are for meats.  Some sweet dishes in Sabina’s cookbook are served with almond milk as a sauce.  This was my initial thought but I couldn’t resist using the extra soaking liquid

Sauce (An original recipe)

Measure reserved soaking liquid. (Mead or white wine)

• For each ½ cup of liquid

• a pinch of saffron

• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp rice flour

Heat liquid to simmer over medium/high heat

Add in spices and Sift in rice flour and simmer 1-2 minutes or more to desired thickness. Drizzle over fritter and serve.

Notes on Ingredients

Apples-While some varieties of medieval apples, such as Court Pendu Plat, Golden Reinette, Rambo and Fameuse, are still cultivated none were available to me locally. So like the medieval cook, I relied on the fruit available from my local market.  My initial choice for the apples was Braeburns. They are a nice all-purpose apple, readily available in my local market and performed well in the redactions.  Subsequent study revealed Golden Delicious might be a more authentic choice. Although they were not grown in medieval times, one of their ancestors may be the Golden Reinette[4].  This proved a pleasant surprise in testing and became my primary choice.  Other apples that tested well were Jonagolds and Romes. Tart apples, such as the Granny Smith, did not impress me and also seemed to not hold the batter as well. 

 Cherries- Cherries are an interesting fruit. Sour cherries were bred out of an entirely different stock than sweet cherries. Sabina’s manuscript specifies sour cherries using the word weixlen.  Sour cherries come in two varieties; morello, a dark-skinned, dark-fleshed fruit and amarellen, a light-skinned light-fleshed cherry. Morello cherries are specified in the Ein Buch von guter spise as sour cherries and another pie recipe(recipe 72) in Sabina’s collection lists both weichseln and amarellen and sweet cherries.  I was able to acquire Morello cherries from Hungary packed in light syrup in jars at a Dutch grocery in Poulsbo. While I believe that the instruction to tie the cherries together indicates cherries with stems, fresh sour cherries with stems are not available at this time of the year and the sweet variety (I had access to South American cherries earlier but they are also now out of season.) lacks flavor.

Pears – I almost had to abandon work on this recipe when my source of dried pears failed, but a trip to the health food store saved me.  These are unsulfured dried pear halves. I do not know the specific variety but they are likely Bartlett or perhaps Bosc.

Flour- For our fritters today I am using a whole-wheat pastry flour made of soft wheat. Most of the hard wheats (red and amber durum) used in today’s flours were developed long past Medieval times. In my early experiments I used all-purpose flour or bread flour. Both performed well.  Spelt flour[5] was another option but the texture did not suit me. Rye flour is specifically mentioned elsewhere in Sabina’s cookbook and millet or barley flour are other possibilities, but my experience with these in other applications did not make them an attractive option.

Water- Good clean water was often a problem in medieval life. And many, many recipes specify faire or spring water.  Spring water was regarded as the best purest kind.[6]

 Eggs – There is some discussion of eggs being a different size than the ones we have today, but I have not seen any proof of that assumption.  Elizabeth Davis is of the same opinion.

Breadcrumbs- Fresh grated breadcrumbs were often used to thicken sauces. Sabina’s cookbook is notable in that recipes in it use both the old-fashioned breadcrumbs to thicken sauces and the newer roux method.

Peas- Pea broth is used as a substitute for broth in fast day dishes. Sabina calls for them in several instances in fish dishes but not meat dishes.  These peas were dried peas[7] rather than fresh and both green and yellow peas were available.[8]

Salt - While salt is often absent from medieval recipes, the admonition “do not over salt” is common. Also fat, butter and other foodstuffs were often preserved in salt, which could add salt to the dishes.

Fat- This category includes lard (pork fat), suet (beef fat) and mutton fat.  Fats from poultry and other animals would also have been used in some applications. Lard was probably the most commonly used[9]

Oils – A number of oils would have been available. Olive oil and almond oil are both mentioned by Sabina. Almond oil is used in connection with sweet dishes. Walnut[10], hazelnut or poppy oil, are other possibilities. I have chosen to go with almond, despite the expense, since walnut sensitivities are increasingly common. (A mild flavored vegetable oil such as canola works just as well.) at Right an Oil Shop

 Bibliography

Armstrong, Valoise, trans., The Cookbook of Sabina Welserin, (Posting date-1998) Cariadoc’s Miscellany, June 11, 2002. <http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Medieval/Cookbooks/Sabrina_Welserin.html>

Atlas, Alia, trans, Ein Buch von guter spise, June 6^th 2002 <http://cs-people.bu.edu/akatlas/Buch/buch.html>

Bell, Anthea, Trans., History of Food by Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat, Oxford,  Blackwell Publisher Ltd. 1994

David, Elizabeth, English Bread and Yeast Cookery, NY, The Viking Press, 1980

Dembinska, Maria, Food and Drink in Medieval Poland, Rediscovering a Cuisine of the Past, Trans by Magdalena Thomas, Revised and adapted by William Woys Weaver, Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999

Flowerdew, Bob, The Complete Book of Fruit, Viking Penguin, 1996

Gloning, Thomas, Monumenta Culinaria et Diaetetica Historica; Corpus of culinary & dietetic texts of Europe from the Middle Ages to 1800, Corpus älterer deutscher Kochbücher und Ernährungslehren, http://staff-www.uni-marburg.de/~gloning/kobu.htm

Grewe, Rudolf and Hieatt, Constance B. Ed. And Trans. Libellus de Arte Coquinaria: An Early Northern Cookery Book, Tempe, AZ, Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2001

Henisch, Bridget Ann, Fast and Feast, Food in Medieval Society, University Park and London, The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1976

Rombauer, Irma S. and Becker, Marion Rombauer, Joy of Cooking, Indianapolis, NY, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc, 1975

Scully, Terence, the Art of Cookery in the Middle Ages, Woodbridge, The Boydell Press, 1995, reprinted in paperback, 1997

Washington State Apple Commission, http://www.bestapples.com/