Fried Cheese Fritters

In Eastern Wisconsin, just over the Illinois border, is a town called Bristol, which has held a large Renaissance Faire since 1972.  Living outside of Chicago, we went to the faire many summers growing up.  And then later, my aunt owned a permanent booth at the faire for years where she sold her very cool handmade dolls.  It's like a small village.  And in their food court, they have always sold these cheese fritters which are A-MAZ-ING!  During a visit back to the Chicagoland area a few years ago, I took Justin to visit the faire for his first time and he agreed - we needed the recipe for those fritters.  We were never successful in getting it. 

The other night, Justin was mentioning these evil, addictive fritters again and I started Googling, on a mission to find a similar recipe.  I ended up taking some ideas from a few different recipes and then added a few twists of my own to it.  They came out awesome!  We were so stoked!  They were also super quick and very easy.  Score!

I think I have the Nekromantix in my head because Halloween was just here... and I dig a little gothabilly/psychobilly sometimes.   I'm a sucker for big pompadours and stand-up bass.  Nekromantix's "Horny In A Hearse".  -jen

FRIED CHEESE FRITTERS
Time:  20-30 minutes
Difficulty:  Easy
Makes:  about 12 fritters, depending on size

• 1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup Gruyère cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions (I used just the green tops)

Preheat peanut or vegetable oil in deep fryer (or use 3 cups of oil in a large pan) to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, chili powder, garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper.  Set aside.

In a smaller mixing bowl, add egg and milk.  Whisk.  Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix, just until dry ingredients are combined.  Don't over-mix.  Fold in shredded cheese and green onion.


Carefully drop a heaping tablespoon of the mixture into the oil.  Most fryers or pots will hold about 4-5 fritters at a time.  Do not overcrowd.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, turning fritters half-way through the cooking time.  They should be a deep golden colour.

I made a quick spicy dipping sauce with 3 parts plain Greek yogurt, 1 part mayo, enough Sriracha to give it a spicy kick, and then a dash of Worcestershire, some seasoning salt, chili powder, cumin and tarragon.  You could use ranch, mustard or barbecue sauce.  Whatever you want.  Or no dipping sauce.

Cheesy Cauliflower Bake

I guarantee you that you could serve this to 10 people who claim they don't like cauliflower, not tell them what it is, and at least 9 of them are going to love it.  If you're into watching your carbs, this is the PERFECT substitution for mashed potatoes.  A little high in fat, maybe, because of all the cheese.  But it's great.  We made it last night to eat with Fish Piccata and I'm eating the leftovers for breakfast as I type this up.  Good way to fool kids into eating their veggies too, if you happen to have that problem.

So how about a little smooth and creamy singing by Iggy Pop with "The Passenger".  (I dug all the clips from classic movies on this video.)  -jen

CHEESY CAULIFLOWER BAKE
Prep Time:  25 minutes
Bake Time:  30 minutes
Difficulty:  Easy
Yields:  about 8 cups

• 2 heads of cauliflower
• 3 tablespoons butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste (and any other seasoning)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup green onion, chopped (about 3 onions)
• 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 3/4 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Generously coat a 2-quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. 

Cut cauliflower into medium-sized florets.  Steam until tender.  Times will vary, depending on the size of your florets, 5-15 minutes.  You should be able to slide a fork into it easily - "fork-tender".  Remove from heat.

Place cauliflower into food processor bowl (if you don't have a food processor, egg-beaters/hand mixer would probably work).  Add butter, milk, garlic and cayenne.  I added just a pinch of salt, a few cranks of fresh black pepper, and a pinch of Caldo de Pollo (seasoned Mexican chicken bouillon).  You can use whatever seasoning you want - thyme, rosemary, dill, seasoning salt.  Blend in the food processor until smooth and creamy.  At this point taste it to see if it's seasoned to where you want it, add more seasoning if necessary.  Then add the eggs and blend those in.

Stir in the green onion and cheeses with a spoon, leaving a little bit of cheese to sprinkle on top; don't use the food processor.  Pour into your greased pan.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Cream of Asparagus and Gruyere Soup

So it's spring, supposedly, in NorCal and that means a lot of asparagus in general all over California.  Most of it's grown in the central, or San Juaquin valley near Monterrey and Salinas.  It becomes quite cheap and plentiful and makes for great soups and sautes and whatnot so here's a soup of it with some delicious Gruyere.

I have to apologize for not getting a pic of this recipe but it was too good to wait until the next making to get a pic and post.

And then there's the Buzzcocks, some classic British punk that I dig every so often, today being one of those days.   - justin

Cream of Asparagus and Gruyere Soup
Time: 45 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Serves: 6-8

• 1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp salt 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 lbs asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces (cut ends where stem becomes woody or tough)
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 1/2 oz sherry
• 1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt (room temp)
• 2 oz grated Fontina cheese
• 4 oz grated Gruyere cheese

Melt butter in large stock pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add onion, garlic, and saute for 5 minutes or until golden brown.  Add salt and pepper.  Add asparagus and saute another 4 to 5 minutes.  Add stock, sherry, and paprika and bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer and cook for 30-45 minutes or until asparagus is tender.  Puree until smooth or until you reach the desired consistency. 

Return to pot and stir in sour cream or yogurt and bring back up to a simmer.  Slowly add Fontina and Gruyere and stir until fully melted into the soup.  Serve hot with some chopped scallion as garnish.