Apple latkes

Daily I am the happy recipient of blog posts from a content marketing site called Copyblogger.  The subject matter varies but ostensibly it is about online marketing and it is replete with creative ideas about writing with success in mind.  Despite their bewitching titles (e.g. why you should fire yourself; the hipster’s dilemma) I don’t get to read them all but there have been a number of posts that have captured my imagination.  One majestically entitled ‘In the dairy case, ripe prose’ featured a story on how the fromageries (or cheesemongers, if you will) of New York attempt  to lure customers to try, and of course buy, a range of cheeses which are unfamiliar and patently foreign to most, with displayed written descriptions laden with wit and cultural allusions.   For example, a cheesemonger from the Upper West Side describes Adelegger as “Just think of a scene in a movie where the lead actress, obviously one of the greats, turns around slowly and walks away from the camera taking your entire attention with her.”  Another description which is blindingly alluring is Galets de Cher   “Yes, it looks a tad, well, funkee, no? but this latest creation from our man Rodolph melts on your tongue, suggesting complex herbal ecstasy. It’s like getting the high of a Bikram Yoga class without the heat, the postures and the drill sergeant instructor”.  I am in complete ardour at the idea of how a tormented writer can be unleashed in the world of cheese! Do yourself a favour and look up this charming article.

One of my favourite cheeses to cook with, although I hasten to unnecessarily add in the same league as the above, is ricotta.  I wanted to make something for afterschool teatime and found an apple latke recipe from Nigella Lawson’s Feast.  Latkes tend to resemble fritters.  As usual, I made some variations and came up with the following which were devoured in no time by the hungry pupils.  “You wouldn’t even know there were apples in it,” my daughter declared.  I took that as a compliment.             Makes about 14…….

1 egg

200g ricotta

100ml milk

150g self raising flour

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp ground ginger

2 tbs caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

250g apples (peeled, cored and grated)

Vegetable oil for frying

Maple syrup or icing sugar and ground cinnamon for serving

Beat egg with ricotta and milk till fairly smooth.  Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger and sugar in a separate bowl.  Pour the ricotta mixture into the flour bowl and fold together with the grated apple and vanilla.

Pour enough oil to come to about 5mm up in a frying pan and put on the stove to heat.  Once oil is hot, dollop irregularly sized and shaped spoonfuls into the pan.  Fry for a minute or two, until the latkes are a golden brown on the underside; you can see from the top as they start firming up underneath. Flip them and cook for another minute on the other side.

Remove to a tray lined with kitchen towels, to blot excess oil , and continue cooking until you’ve used up all the batter.  Dust with combined icing sugar and cinnamon or drizzle with maple syrup.