Elderberry Fritters

Elderberries are in bloom. I happened upon this Red Elderberry Sambucus racemosa ssp pubens at the right time. Note, the Common Elderberry S. canadensis is the one you hear most about. These Red Elderberry shrubs grow in rich woods often in an opening. Here in the mountains of Appalachia, Elderberry wine, Elderberry pancakes, Elderberry fritters, Elderberry jelly and medicinal extracts for colds, flu, and headaches are some of the ways human history is intertwined with this genus and it’s close relative- Common Elderberry. I have eaten Elderberry somethings for as long as I remember. Fritters are my favorite. And, I’ve heard this edible is high in Vitamin C. But we are not the only ones that highly value this food. So I didn’t pick all the blossoms, though I was very tempted.

Here is my recipe for fritters. Hope you like it as much as I do. This is a desert. OK, I confess, I used it for a side dish to a main course of soup, but these fritters are really closely related to a cake donut. Who doesn’t love donuts for dinner occasionally.

Ingredients

• 2 beaten eggs
• 1/2 cup yogurt mixed 50:50 with milk (mixture measures 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup club soda
• 2 tablespoons Elderflower cordial or what ever you have. I’ve had wonderful results with Cointreau
• About 10 Elderflower blossoms (some cut the little clusters of flowers off the central stem, others shake them off. They are all trying to avoid eating too much of the green stem. The stem gives some folks digestive troubles. Not me though. I eat the fritters fully connected to the stem as you can see in the photo. I don’t eat the main stem beyond the flowers though.)
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• Vegetable oil for frying

1. Pour at lease 1 1/2 inches of oil in the bottom of your pot. I used a small pot to not waste oil. You could use a deep frier but I don’t have one, nor know how to use one.
2. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F. I don’t have a thermometer so I turn the burner on low under my pot of oil and slowly heat the oil while I’m mixing the ingredients. When I’m ready, I test with a small flowerless fritter. When you drop in the batter, the oil should be hot enough to see the fritter dough bubble to the bottom of the oil, then quickly rise to float on the surface of the oil (less than 20 seconds (Jolene Jolene Jolene Jolene. . . COVID-19 reference). You want the oil to be hot enough to cook the fritter but not so hot the outer part gets too dark before the inner part is cooked. There is a delicate balance without a thermometer.
3. While the oil is heating, in a medium large bowl, beat the eggs, then add the yogurt, club soda (beer works too), and cordial.
4. In a small bowl, mix the salt, sugar, flour, and baking powder thoroughly.
5. Pour the dry ingredients into the larger bowl of wet ingredients and mix well.
6. One at a time, dip the flowers into the batter and cover them completely.
7. Drop the flower into the hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides.
8. Drain on paper towels while you cook the rest.
9. You could dust them with powdered sugar if you chose. I just eat mine plain. Jim eats his with maple syrup or honey.

Tip: like unripe apples, the unripe berries might give you a belly ache. So pick these when they are in flower for fritters, or when the berries are purple or black for jellies and wine.