Easy Apple Wonton Fritter
Benno ate 16 of these. [Photo Credit: Alex Paternostro]
Recipe by Seth Paternostro
Introduction by Alex Paternostro
December 13, 2021
The colorful banner of the “International Carnival” greeted Nonna Rossa and Benno with calligraphic flair.
“Yippee!” he joked, raising his eyebrows and giving his wife a squeeze, around the shoulders, as they passed under the banner’s teeth. Miniature flags wrapped the whipping fabric’s bottom, and beside the couple was its wooden frame, which stayed put in concrete and sandbags. Nonna Rossa enjoyed the aesthetics, which were much flashier than her own today. She was wearing a long grey skirt under a red shawl, Benno a V-necked tan sweater with bear-claw buttons above gray slacks. The pair smiled and joined the crowds milling about the divers stands, smelling sweet apple fritter fry oil, currywurst, funnel and fennel cakes, bacon donuts, spring rolls, and so much more!
Nonna Rossa felt like she was floating on a field of poppies…There was simply so much to see, taste, and do that she did not know what they ought to try first. They strolled hand-in-hand through the grounds, pointing at the wobbling ferris wheel whose cigar-smoking attendant just turned up the speed. They joined the crowds around the acrobats, the knights jousting on their tongue-out steeds, the White Man in his Cage, the Unfortunate Tailor selling none of his lopsided gowns, and an elephant.
Just then, Nonna Rossa stopped and stared at what she knew was the perfect ticketed activity to really start the night. With large, incandescent bulbs blinking orange-white, red, and blue, the skating rink was calling to her. All the excitement of the races came back to her—the engines roaring, the fans screaming, the beer flying, and how she circled around Benno and his biceps, with a pizza in her hand—and she pulled Benno over, taking him by surprise. He had no time to collect himself but soon realized the source of Nonna Rossa’s joy. In the throes of old love, they dashed to rent some four-wheelers.
With her skates tight and tied, Nonna Rossa hopped onto the wax floor, and did she show the kids! Next to drunk and staggering dates, under a soundtrack featuring the full, romantic corniness of Selena y los Dinos’ “Dame Un Beso,” the old lady skated backwards. To the saxophones, soaring vocals, and rolling band over the speakers, she shook her plump hips to the beats and waved her butterfly arms as she completed a windy lap to grab Benno off his haunches.
The two of them danced, then. They swooned, looping around the track like dogs at the races. Nonna Rossa was mainly pulling Benno, saving him from the occasional tumble, and she loved every moment of it. Indeed, there was a magic there that the growing audience could not deny. Small children barged past pregnant women, who squeezed with their husbands and boyfriends against one another to watch the octogenarians as they zoomed around that little oval. The two were blissfully unaware that they were rushing around groups of people who were scooting to the center of the rink to avoid them.
Quick as it started, the show was over, and Nonna Rossa swung Benno around and tossed him out the little entry gate. His arms shot around him, he swirled, and he fell down right on the seat his wife had intended. They unlaced their skates, returned them, and, tired, walked less quickly but no less energetically to their next adventure.
It was Benno’s turn to demonstrate his chops. He slipped off his sweater and revealed his gold-fastened, black suspenders on a white tee-shirt. He grabbed the rifle from the boy at the stand, crossed himself, and shot all of the soda cans, which exploded in crushed orange, lemon Pellegrino, and brown Coke blasts. He was using real bullets, of course, and he kissed his own still glistening guns to fast, happy claps. He bowed and chose the most fitting prize, a bouquet of pink roses for his lovely Rossa, who blushed and wanted to outdo Benno.
Nonna Rossa ran over to a mustachioed man with a bowler hat. He was wearing pinstripes and what looked like potato sack pants, not because of the fabric, but the color. She took his hammer in hand, and to the snickering of slick-haired youth, smashed the knocker all the way to the Ring! Benno nodded and dropped his jaw as in her exuberance, Nonna Rossa flashed her white and surprisingly firm bosom to those young and stunned faces.
“What do you think of that, boys?” she asked, and they crossed themselves. Benno grinned with two thumbs up, laughing and laughing.
Makes about 24 fritters
Total time
1 hour
Equipment:
cutting board, chef’s knife or cleaver, large and small mixing bowls, large flat-bottomed wok or dutch oven, medium saucepan, measuring cups and spoons, vegetable peeler, silicone spatula, tasting fork, whisk, pastry brush, spider, wooden spoon, digital thermometer
Tableware:
serving dish, plates, and utensils
Ingredients
4 apples, a mix of Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Fuji, etc.
1½ cups sugar
1 tbsp brown sugar
½ inch ginger
2 tsps cider vinegar, or as needed
¼ cup plus 1½ tsps ground cinnamon
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsps unsalted butter
Hong Kong-style wonton wrappers, as needed
1 large egg
1 tbsp water
Corn oil, as needed
Kosher salt, as needed
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
Set out all equipment, tableware, and ingredients.
Peel, and medium-dice the apples.
Peel, and mince the ginger.
Combine the apples, ginger, ½ cup sugar, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tsps cider vinegar, 1½ tsps cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Macerate for about 10 minutes, then taste, and adjust as desired.
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter with the flour, and cook until foaming and just beginning to turn blonde.
Add the apple mixture to the saucepan, turn to coat in the butter and flour, and increase the heat to medium.
Cook, stirring frequently, until the apples soften but maintain a slight crisp in their centers, or about 10 minutes. Taste, adjust, then cool fully to room temperature.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup sugar and ¼ cup cinnamon.
Combine 1 egg and 1 tbsp water in a small bowl, and thoroughly mix.
Lay out 24 wonton wrappers, and scoop a heaping tablespoon of apple filling onto the center of each.
Carefully brush a little of the egg wash around the filling, top with another wonton wrapper, then seal the two layers together. Take care to press out any trapped air but absolutely do not poke a hole in the wrappers.
Fill your frying vessel with whatever amount of oil that you feel comfortable using, although at least 2 inches is preferable.
Heat the oil to 375°F.
Carefully lower a few fritters into the oil, baste their tops with a wooden spoon, then flip, and continue to baste until golden-brown, crisp, and puffed.
Remove the fritters to the cinnamon-sugar bowl, toss to coat, and serve immediately.
Fry in batches, treating yourself to one here and there as you go.
Notes: It is always helpful to grind your own cinnamon, in a spice or coffee grinder, for a fresher flavor. In order to quickly cool any liquid, one method is to half-fill a large mixing bowl or pot with ice and water, lower the hot saucepan into it, then stir the warm liquid until cool, taking care not to spill any water in. Frying in small batches makes it easier to maintain a specific oil temperature and requires less oil.
NUTRITION FACTS:
Calories 396 Total Fat 4.6g (6%) Saturated Fat 2.3g (11%) Cholesterol 8mg (3%) Sodium 263mg (11%) Total Carbohydrate 82.5g (30%) Dietary Fiber 2.6g (9%) Total Sugars 30.5g Protein 9.1g Vitamin D 0mcg (0%) Calcium 10mg (1%) Iron 0mg (0%) Potassium 78mg (2%) - Note: Please read our Nutrition Disclaimer.
Seth Paternostro is a writer and recipe developer based in Chicago. He is a co-founder of Our American Cuisine and graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with an A.B. in East Asian Studies. You can learn more about him here.
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