Grain-free blueberry muffin fritters with wild yeast are deep fried in olive oil and drizzled with tart lemon icing, then topped with sweet crumble and lemon zest.
I've started looking at dining out in a whole new light. Since going lectin free, I can't help but fixate on a great menu for all the things I can't have. But yesterday, I turned a page. I took my kids out for brunch at the nano brewery, Avenues Proper, which is walking distance from our house.
The menu is limited and changes with the seasons. That said, the food is always innovative. In any given season, you can find new and exciting snacks, pub favorites and brunch items.
Featured on the summer brunch list are the blueberry muffin fritters. We ordered them. And, of course, I had taste one just to decipher the recipe. Consider it my sacrifice to the lectin free community. But really, it was a gift to my taste sensations.
Imagine deep-fried blueberry drop muffins, glazed in lemon icing and topped with buttery, sweet and salty, cinnamony crumbles. They were well worth falling off the wagon for. But I quickly jumped back on, sipped my lemon mimosa and started going through how I would make these glutenous, sugar-laden, and almost certainly terrible-oil-soaked flavor bombs at home and LECTIN FREE GOURMET. I jotted down the recipe in my head, and made them when I got home.
I use my sourdough starter to give them extra rise and fluffiness, but I also offer a way to make them without it. Let's make these delicious fritters together!
The Recipe
LFG Blueberry Muffin Fritters
12-hour Leaven
1/4 C LFG Sourdough Starter
1/4 C Sorghum Flour
1/2 C Distilled Water
Fritter Batter
12-hour Leaven (optional)
1 C Sorghum Flour
1/4 C Arrowroot Flour
1 T Ground Flax Seed
1 T Grassfed Collagen (Vanilla Flavor)
1 T Erythritol Granules
1 t Baking Soda
1/8 t Salt
1/2 t Cardamom (optional)
1/2 C Compliant Warm Milk (your choice)
1 T Raw Local Honey
1 Egg (beaten)
2 T Olive Oil
1/2 C Frozen Wild Blueberries
Lemon Icing
5 T Powdered Erythritol
3 t Lemon Juice
Sweet Butter Crumble
1/4 C Almond Flour
2 T Cold French Butter
2 T Erythritol
1/2 t Cream of Tartar
1/4 t Salt
Garnish
Lemon Zest
Instructions:
Step 1: Make the Leaven
In a small bowl, whisk starter with water until dissolved and frothy. Gradually add sorghum flour while whisking. Cover with a dough cloth and let ferment for 12 hours. I suggest doing this in the evening so it can sit while you sleep. It will be very bubbly and active overnight, and you'll wake up to what looks like a crusted over lava field. See photo.
Step 2: Mix the Batter
In a medium bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. Next, in a large measuring cup, measure your choice of compliant warm milk. Add all of the leaven from step 1 and whisk together. If not using leaven, simply add one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to make a thick buttermilk that will react with the baking soda. No need to warm the milk if not using leaven. With buttermilk, the dough will not puff up as big as the dough with leaven, but it will still taste delicious.
Next, add raw local honey to the milk (or buttermilk) and whisk well. Pour into the dry mixture, along with the beaten egg, and oil. Mix well. It will form a thick battery ball. If using leaven, cover and let site for 30 minutes to get the wild yeast munching on the new starches. This will release lots of gas and it's what make the fritters super puffy when fried. If using buttermilk, you can fold in the frozen blueberries now. If not, wait!
Step 3: Make the Crumble
You can do this while the batter is rising. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, add all the dry ingredients. Next cut up the cold butter into small squares and add to the dry mixture. With fingers, pinch the butter into the flour mix until you see not more loose flour, and you have all pea-size crumbles. Bake in a pie glass for 10 minutes.
Step 4: Fry the Batter
Did you know "fritter" is a mash of two words: fry and batter? Preheat your pure olive oil either in a deep saucepan or deep fryer to 300 degrees F. Now is the time to fold in the frozen blueberries to the fermented batter. With two tablespoons, form a ball of dough and drop it into the hot oil. Repeat until you have filled the vessel. I can do six at a time. And this recipe makes 12. Fry until rich, golden brown. Some of the little wild blueberries may fall out, but they become crispy and delicious. So, use them to plate the dish.
Step 5: Make the Icing
In a small ramekin, whisk together lemon juice and powdered erythritol until smooth. Set aside.
Step 6: Plate the Dish
Arrange the fritters on a plate, drizzle with the lemon icing, and sprinkle crumble on top. It will stick to the lemon icing. Sprinkle the stray fried blueberries onto the plate. Finally zest a lemon over the dish for a bright yellow, aromatic finish.
Pairs perfectly with coffee or, on Sunday, a crisp lemon mimosa. ENJOY!