Banana Fritters

Banana Fritters - made February 24, 2012 from Sweet Seasons by Richard Leach (book #195)

I've had this book for so long I can't remember when or how I got it, whether I bought it or whether it was a gift.  It's also gone through 2 house moves with me, staying intact and nicely pristine in its plastic shrinkwrap the entire time.  I finally broke open the shrinkwrap to thumb through its pages looking for a recipe to include in my baking challenge.  Only then did I finally realize that 90% of the recipes are "too fancy" for me to use a lot.  Not unless I throw a lot of uppity dinner parties, which is unlikely because neither my friends or I are all that uppity. I do have uppity taste buds but they can be satisfied more by how something tastes than how fancifully it's presented on a dessert plate.  However, I did manage to find this recipe in with all the fancy.  I love fried bananas and I liked the concept of using Panko crumbs instead of regular bread crumbs.  Plus, honestly, anything deep-fried, eaten warm and served with ice cream?  Can you really go wrong?

And yes, that was a rhetorical question because these were awesome.  I love bananas in their wholesome healthy state and I love them fried.  The coating batter was light and the panko crumbs gave these a really nice crunch.  This is a super simple dessert to make for guests; these fry up in no time and should be served within minutes of frying.  For added decadence, serve with a side of warm hot fudge sauce. It would be like taking an upscale version of a banana split to a whole new level.

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup cold water

4 bananas, peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths

1 cup Panko bread crumbs                    

Vegetable oil for deep frying

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1.   Heat oil to 350⁰F. 

2.   Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in a mixing bowl.  Whisk in cold water until smooth.  Place bananas in the fritter batter, coating lightly.  Roll in the bread crumbs.  Deep fry until golden brown, 5 minutes.  Dust lightly with confectioners’ sugar.