The Erie Cook Book Revisited: Snow Fritters

Contributed

One ingredient that Erie never seems to be short on is freshly fallen snow. Scoop up a teacup full and add it to this historic local recipe for Snow Fritters to create a light, airy, lake effect nugget of golden brown on a blustery wintery day.

As New York has bagels, so Erie has snow fritters. The original recipe provided in Laura Sterrett's 1881 The Erie Cookbook was, as written, stodgy as old boots — so I added leavener to give them life. Now they're as light as freshly fallen snow. Nothing like a historical recipe with a locally-sourced (and snowy sky-delivered) ingredient to kick off the new year in a flurry of flavor.

This recipe yields 16—20 fritters.

Ingredients:

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon orange zest

2 cups AP flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teacup of new fallen snow

4 cups lard

Dusting of granulated sugar

To make Snow Fritters, whisk together buttermilk and egg in a large mixing bowl. Add sugar rubbed with orange zest and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until just combined. After the ingredients are combined, gently fold in a teacup-full of new fallen snow.

Heat lard (or any other fat of your choosing) in a deep pot or fryer to 375°F (190°C). Drop spoonfuls of batter, about the size of a chestnut, into the hot lard. Fry in batches for 3 minutes, turning as needed, until golden brown. Remove the fritters with a slotted spoon and drain on a metal rack. Serve warm, with a light dusting of granulated sugar for a frosty finish.

Revised from Laura Sterrett's recipe for "Snow Fritters" from page 88 in The Erie Cookbook.