Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! I was originally going to post this recipe a little later in the month, but decided to move it up because it kind of went with the holiday. I actually really love Saint Patrick’s Day and one of my favorite traditions is making soda bread, but a fun little festive dessert doesn’t hurt either!
Last year I published these Pistachio Baileys Cupcakes and the year before it was this Guinness Chocolate layer cake. This recipe is a little less on the nose with its festive nature, really the only thing it has that makes it festive is the green from the pistachios. But I think that’s good enough.
This recipe is based off of my apple fritters from September, which was a simple and favorite recipe of the fall. So these are kind of a springy twist on that recipe. I’m starting to shift my recipes more towards the spring side of things as the days start to get warmer.
Describe these Fritters to Me
Taste: These are perfectly balanced in flavor, with the batter full of sweet pistachio, bright bourbon, fresh spices, earthy pears, and the glaze adding a warm touch of nuttiness from the brown butter.
Texture: These must be eaten warm, while the dough is fluffy and soft on the inside with a slightly crisp exterior. The pears are juicy and the glaze is melt in your mouth buttery to perfectly compliment the rest of the fritter.
Ease: Making the batter is very straightforward, and unlike donuts these don’t require any shaping or resting time. The tricky part is the frying process because it may take a moment to figure out the best timing and heat to get the fritters cooked through. But after a few practice attempts, you can get the hang of it.
The Batter
This is a very simple batter, it starts with ground up pistachios, flour, baking powder, and some complimenting spices. Then, we add in some eggs, milk, butter, maple syrup, and bourbon. This makes just enough batter to coat the pears in a relatively thick layer.
The Glaze
This is the same glaze I used in my other fritter recipe, and it’s probably my favorite part. It’s centered around salted browned butter which adds this warm and nutty taste that compliments the pistachio. The maple in the glaze ties together with the spices in the fritter, making a perfect combination.
Pistachio Pear Fritters
Ingredients
Method
- In a small food processor, pulse the pistachios until they form a fine meal, similar to almond flour. You should have about ½ cup.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together ½ of the pistachio meal, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and salt. Add in the eggs, butter, milk, maple syrup, bourbon, and pistachio extract and whisk until smooth. Fold in the chopped pears until all he pears are evenly coated in the batter. Let the batter sit at room temperature while we heat up the oil.
- In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat 3 cups vegetable oil over medium high heat. The oil should be around 350℉ on an instant read thermometer. Scoop/drop 2 Tablespoon sized balls of the batter into the hot oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove the finished fritters from the oil using a slotted metal spoon and place on a wire cooling rack set over a layer of paper towels to drain the oil. Once all of the batter has been fried, make the glaze.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, the butter will begin to sizzle and foam before it starts to brown. Once the butter has reached and amber color and has a nutty aroma, remove from the heat and let the butter cool in the saucepan for 5 minutes.
- To the slightly cooled brown butter, whisk in the maple syrup, followed by the confectioners sugar, and vanilla extract. Dunk the warm fritters in the glaze and place back on the cooling rack to drain the extra glaze.
- Enjoy the fritters while they're warm! These get soggy as they sit and cool, so they must be served while they're fresh and warm.