I love choux pastry. I've made my share of eclairs and profiteroles, but none since I started blogging. I should really get down to that soon. The other day, I felt like trying something new, and I came across 'Pineapple Choux Fritters'. It sounded very intriguing to me. And so I made these.
The fritters were just okay. I don't know if my deep-frying oil was too hot, but I had a lot of difficulty frying these little fritters. If I got them the right shade of golden brown, the inside was still gooey and raw. Only these slightly blackened, dark brown fritters were cooked all the way through. I didn't mind the little burnt black bits, because they added a nice flavor. I must mention that the fritters were not awful or bad. Just disappointing. The best part was the bursts of flavor from the tiny bits of pineapple in the dough.
But, this recipe has one winner. While the fritters themselves were just average, the dipping sauce - oh the dipping sauce was so good! I think I will be using this sauce for many other things. I imagine it would taste divine with a savory dish, too. Without doubt, the ginger-honey dipping sauce was the star of this recipe. I surprise myself by saying this, because I am not a huge fan of ginger. But this really, really works!
If 'Pineapple Choux Fritters' sounds as good to you as it does to me, I welcome you to play around with this recipe. And please, please let me know if you manage to make it taste divine.
Pineapple Choux Fritters
Ingredients
540g can of pineapple chunks in juice
4 tbsp butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
Zest of 1 orange
Method
1. Drain the pineapple pieces, and reserve 2/3 cup of the juice.
2. Check the pineapple pieces, and if there are any larger pieces, snip them into two using your kitchen scissors. Set aside
3. In a saucepan, pour in the 2/3 cup of the juice, and add in the butter.
4. Heat gently till the butter is dissolved. Turn up the heat and bring quickly to a boil.
5. As soon as starts to boil, take it off the heat, add all the flour and stir quickly until the mixture becomes a paste that leaves the sides of the saucepan.
6. Stop beating at this stage. Don't beat it too much or it will turn greasy.
7. Set aside to cool for 20 minutes
8. When cool, add in the eggs and orange rind and beat until the mixture is glossy.
9. Add the pineapple pieces and stir until just combined.
10. Heat your frying oil. If you are using an electric deep-fryer, heat your oil to 190/375.
11. Drop the batter using two teaspoons to shape into a rough quenelle shape.
12. Fry each batch for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Don't overcrowd the oil.
13. Drain on paper towels and serve with the ginger dipping sauce.
Ginger-Honey Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
1 tsp arrowroot (or cornflour)
3 tbsp honey
4 tbsp pineapple juice
1 tbsp fresh ginger juice, strained
3-4 tbsp of chopped, candied ginger
Method
1. In a small saucepan, mix the arrowroot with the pineapple juice to make a smooth paste.
2. Stir in the ginger juice, honey and candied ginger.
3. Cook over a low heat until the mixture thickens and the ginger pieces have turned slightly translucent.
4. Turn off the heat, transfer to a bowl to cool, and enjoy!
I have made several versions of baked choux pastry, but this was my first time frying them. I don't know if I will go down this path again, unless I find a highly-rated, mind-blowing-ly good recipe. Until then, I will continue making my profiteroles and chocolate eclairs the old fashioned way.
But I will keep making this sauce, and you should try it too. Trust me on this one. It is really a winner!
Pineapple Choux Fritters
Ingredients
540g can of pineapple chunks in juice
4 tbsp butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
Zest of 1 orange
Method
1. Drain the pineapple pieces, and reserve 2/3 cup of the juice.
2. Check the pineapple pieces, and if there are any larger pieces, snip them into two using your kitchen scissors. Set aside
3. In a saucepan, pour in the 2/3 cup of the juice, and add in the butter.
4. Heat gently till the butter is dissolved. Turn up the heat and bring quickly to a boil.
5. As soon as starts to boil, take it off the heat, add all the flour and stir quickly until the mixture becomes a paste that leaves the sides of the saucepan.
6. Stop beating at this stage. Don't beat it too much or it will turn greasy.
7. Set aside to cool for 20 minutes
8. When cool, add in the eggs and orange rind and beat until the mixture is glossy.
9. Add the pineapple pieces and stir until just combined.
10. Heat your frying oil. If you are using an electric deep-fryer, heat your oil to 190/375.
11. Drop the batter using two teaspoons to shape into a rough quenelle shape.
12. Fry each batch for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Don't overcrowd the oil.
13. Drain on paper towels and serve with the ginger dipping sauce.
Ginger-Honey Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
1 tsp arrowroot (or cornflour)
3 tbsp honey
4 tbsp pineapple juice
1 tbsp fresh ginger juice, strained
3-4 tbsp of chopped, candied ginger
Method
1. In a small saucepan, mix the arrowroot with the pineapple juice to make a smooth paste.
2. Stir in the ginger juice, honey and candied ginger.
3. Cook over a low heat until the mixture thickens and the ginger pieces have turned slightly translucent.
4. Turn off the heat, transfer to a bowl to cool, and enjoy!
