Citrus Oreillettes
In love, a man whispers sweet nothings into a girl’s ear. In food, I like to fry up some sweet nothings to crackle into my man’s mouth.
This week’s French in a Flash over on Serious Eats is Citrus Oreillettes. Oreillettes are deep fried shards of pastry, snowballed in powdered sugar. They are light as air, but I still managed to eat my weight in them in Provence this past spring. For my easy, renovated version, I fry wonton skins for just seconds, and then toss them around in a brown paper bag filled with powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, and the colorful confetti zests of lemon, lime, and orange. I’d like to say that I’ve learnt restraint over the summer, but, I can’t. The four of us finished the entire batch watching late night TV in bed. And so I fell asleep on a cloud of powdered sugar. Very sweet dreams.
Some of my column readers have commented that they want to try cinnamon or savory versions with cumin or paprika or chili. You could even try Parmesan or fresh vanilla. Let me know what you come up with…
For the full story and recipe, click here. Bon app!
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- The zest of 1 orange, 1 lemon, and 1 lime
- Pinch of salt
- 24 wonton wrappers (about half a pack)
Procedure
- Heat about 1 to 2 inches of vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet, or saucepan, to 325°F.
- Cut the wonton wrappers into triangles by slicing them in half across the diagonal. Fry a few of them at a time, about 4 or 5 depending on the size of your pan, for about 10 to 20 seconds per side, until they are just turning golden. They will harden and even darken a touch when you remove them to a paper towel to drain.
- Pile up the oreillettes on a plate, and top with more freshly grated orange, lemon, and lime zest. Serve with tea or aperitifs in the afternoon.
These would be fabulous beach treats! 🙂 Can't wait to try them.
when I was growing up in NYC, my mother infrequently made a treat we all loved – fried pieces of dough which were sprinkled with confectioner's sugar and which we, to this day some 80 years later, call "snowballs". they are delicious just plain.
Louise
lhyson@mindspring.com