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Corn Fritters with Spicy Honey

Source of Recipe

From "Southern Snacks" by Perre Coleman Magness


Recipe Introduction

"Crispy, crunchy corn fritters are a personal favorite; add a little sweet fire and you've really got me. The spicy honey really is hot—you can take it down to one chile or up to three—and it has an amazing host of uses. Try it drizzled over fried chicken or roasted sweet potatoes."

List of Ingredients

For the spicy honey:
â—¦ 1 cup honey
â—¦ 2 Fresno chiles
â—¦ 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

For the corn fritters:
â—¦ ¾ cup all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
â—¦ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 1 large egg
â—¦ ½ cup whole milk
â—¦ 1 tablespoon spicy honey, regular honey, or granulated sugar
â—¦ 2 cups corn kernels, from 2 ears of corn or frozen, thawed and drained
â—¦ Vegetable oil for frying


Recipe

For the spicy honey, pour the honey into a small saucepan. Finely slice the chiles and add to the honey. Stir in the vinegar and heat the honey over medium-low heat until it is barely simmering. Reduce the heat to low and cook for an hour to fully infuse the honey. Watch carefully so the honey does not start bubbling or boiling. Let the honey sit for 30 minutes off the heat, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer into an airtight jar. Cool completely before covering. The honey will keep in a cool, dark place for up to 2 months.

For the fritters, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and pepper together in a medium mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the egg, milk, and honey and beat until thoroughly combined and smooth. Stir in the corn until evenly distributed.

Pour 4 inches of oil in a deep, heavy pot. Clip on a candy thermometer and heat over high heat to 375° F. Scoop tablespoonfuls of batter into the hot oil. I like to use a small cookie scoop, which makes perfectly lovely, evenly sized, round fritters, but you can also scoop with a tablespoon and scrape the batter into the oil with a second spoon. Fry until the fritters are floating, and dark golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Try one first and time how long it takes to cook through. Don't crowd the pot—make sure there is plenty of room to flip the fritters over. Remove the fritters with a slotted spoon to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Repeat with all the batter, making sure the oil remains between 350° and 360° F.

Serve immediately drizzled with hot spicy honey.

Makes about 24