Fresh Corn Fritters

Do you have fear of frying? I overcame mine a few years ago with some -- as it turned out, unnecessary -- reassurance from a nearby fire extinguisher. And a whole new world opened. Frying is easy, quick and adds so much flavor and texture to ordinary ingredients.  And by ordinary, I mean things you probably already have in your pantry or refrigerator like eggs and flour. It's a good way to incorporate fruits and vegetables into one's diet! I recently discovered two ears of corn lurking in my fridge from an overly ambitious farmer's market trip at the same time I found a vintage recipe for corn fritters. Kismet!

This recipe is from Grace Johnson, a Park Slope, Brooklyn, resident, whose wonderful 1940s handwritten book of recipes I purchased from a stoop sale a few years ago.  You can read her story here.

These are light, fluffy and savory fritters. Really, really good. (And you can whip them up in a jiffy when a friend unexpectedly rings your doorbell on Sunday night -- see end of post.)



Begin by organizing your ingredients.  Beat the egg, mix in the milk and other ingredients.

It will seem like there's not enough liquid, but there will be.  Add the corn in last.

Drop the batter by teaspoon...



...into the hot oil. Fry until golden on one side.

Then flip the fritters over using a slotted spoon, or even a fork.



I've included the original recipe, and then thoughtfully wrote it out (you're welcome).

Corn Fritters

1 egg

1 cup milk (divided)

1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups whole kernel corn (about two ears)

1 tablespoon liquid shortening (melted butter)

Oil for frying (depending on the size of your frying pan*)

In a bowl, beat the egg.

Stir in ½ cup milk.

Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Add to egg-milk mixture.

Add remaining ½ cup milk.

Add the melted butter and corn.

Mix well.

Heat the oil in a frying pan. When very hot (you can take its temperature or just drop a bit of batter in to test).

Drop the batter by tablespoons into the hot oil.

When golden brown on one side, flip over to continue cooking. (Use a fork or slotted spoon).

Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.

*Grace recommends starting with three tablespoons of oil, and replacing when necessary. I think it’s better to do this once – add oil so it rises an inch or more from the bottom of the pan. This way, you need not keep waiting for the new oil to reach temperature. You can always strain the used oil through a cheesecloth to reuse.

Our friend Alec, below, with a plate of corn fritters. He bicycled over on his hand-built bamboo bike just in time for dinner! Hmmmm.....

Pinwheel Cookies (or Bill de Blasio's Trash is My Treasure)

In my neck of the Brooklyn woods, it's hard to walk a block on the weekend without bumping into a stoop sale. For those not willing to spend the day haggling over the price of their used Brita filter or old record albums, there's another option -- just leave unwanted items outside, available for the taking by any interested passerby.

And that's just what Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York City, did on Sunday when he (or perhaps a family member) set out a whole lotta stuff in front of their house, with a "Free" sign affixed to the front gate (see photo below).  I suppose they are just cleaning house as they (finally) make the move from Brooklyn to Gracie Mansion.

The mayor lives just down the street from me, and I pass by his house often.  But this was a first for me (though apparently not for him). The DH and I looked over the items up for grabs -- might we find something of future value, considering its provenance?  There were lots of books for toddlers, well-used Halloween decorations, old clothing and the like. Except for a marijuana poster (which I regret not taking), there was little of interest.  That is until I spied a shiny aluminum baking sheet, which I immediately scooped up, under the watchful eye of the New York Police Department officers who guard his house 24/7.

UPDATE: Since the reference to the marijuana poster has created even more media interest than these cookies, I've added a facsimile of the poster below.  It's from a 1942 anti-pot film, Devil's Harvest.  Aides to the mayor have said that the poster was a gag gift that was kept in the basement.  I believe that; most of the items at the sale appeared to be part of a basement clean-out.

The photo below shows the few items remaining the next day.

That's a long way to get to these black and white pinwheel cookies, baked on the mayor's former baking sheet.  But we've arrived.  The recipe, probably from the 1960s, came from a collection I purchased on eBay, and advertised as from the estate of an Amish family.

These pinwheel cookies are a bit labor intensive, but quite good. Mix up the batter; it will be sticky!

Place it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for four hours, or longer.

Prepare the chocolate filling -- just melt chocolate chips, cream cheese, confectioner's sugar and orange juice.

Roll out the cookie dough and spread with the chocolate filling.

Roll it up tightly.  I used a bench scraper, at right, to help it along.

Cut the log into 1/4 inch slices and place them on the mayor's cookie sheet (or any you might have at hand).

Bake and then cool on a wire rack.

The pan, below.

Production notes:  I halved this recipe (it's a small baking sheet, after all!) and used lemon (rather than orange) zest.  I cheated and placed the dough in the freezer for about an hour. It was very sticky and difficult to work with, but I soldiered through.  Next time, I'd follow the instructions exactly.

I made a different, older version, of these cookies last year.. That recipe, which features ground nuts and uses a different method altogether, is here.