Butternut Squash and Apple Fritters | New Canaan & Darien Moms


We turned to Julia Deane, Executive Chef at Culinary Works for a crowd-pleasing recipe to serve all season long. The perfect mix of sweet and savory, her popular Butternut Squash and Apple Fritters are topped off with a delicious maple crema. They make a delicious addition for the holidays or a weeknight dinner. A New Canaan resident, mother of three, home chef and cooking instructor, Julia offers group cooking classes both in person and virtually. This recipe can also be found on Julia’s website, where it’s available to purchase as a video tutorial.

INGREDIENTS
4 cups shredded butternut squash (use the precut squash noodles available in most stores)
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups shredded Granny Smith apple (about 2 large apples)
1/2 of a large onion chopped
3 tablespoons sage
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 packed cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup flour (plus additional flour if required)
Fresh pepper
Canola, grapeseed or other neutral oil, for pan frying
Sour cream or Greek yogurt, for serving

DIRECTIONS

  1. Shred the squash on a box grater or use the squash noodles and chop those. Shred the apples on the box grater. Once shredded, squeeze out the residual moisture from the apples.
  2. Dice the onion small, chop the sage, shred the cheese, measure the flour and baking powder. Crack the eggs into a large bowl and scramble lightly. Add all of the ingredients to the eggs except the flour and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder, mixing well. Add the flour 1/2 cup and then 1/4 cup and an additional 1/4 cup if you need it. The mixture should be slightly wet and somewhat loose. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Pour the oil into a large frying pan of about a 1/4-inch depth. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Test with a small portion of the fritter mixture and if it bubbles, it is ready to begin.
  4. Drop large, heaping spoonfuls of the squash mixture into the pan to form disc-shaped fritters. Cook in batches without crowding (about 5-6 at a time, depending the size of your pan) until golden brown on the underside (about 2 minutes) and then flip and cook until golden brown on the second side. Remove to paper towels or inside of cut open brown bags to drain. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt. The fritters should be crisp on the outside and slightly custardy on the inside, season with additional salt, if necessary, immediately when they come out of the oil.

MAPLE CREMA
1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon siracha hot sauce, or similar

Combine in small bowl and dollop on top of fritters.

 

 

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