Jalapeno Corn Fritters and Avocado Cream

Ingredients:

Fritters:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin (coriander powder)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons lime juice
zest of one lime
2 1/2 cups fresh cut corn kernels (about 3 ears of corn)
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup scallions (about 2-3)
1/4 cup cilantro, packed
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons finely minced jalapeno (about 1 medium jalapeno)

Avocado Cream:
1 avocado
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon cilantro, packed
1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small garlic clove
1 tablespoon finely minced jalapeno
1 1/2 cups canola or vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions:

Prepare the Fritters: In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne, sugar, and ground coriander and mix well. In a small bowl whisk together the milk, eggs, lime zest and lime juice. Using a large whisk, add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine to make a thick batter. It is fine if there are tiny clumps, but try to work the big lumps out with the whisk. Remove the corn kernels from the cob by running your knife vertically down and along the side of the cob until the entire cob is free of kernels. Remove the corn silk from the cobs to ensure that they don’t get mixed into the batter.

Dice the red bell pepper and scallions/green onions finely. Finely chop the cilantro and the jalapeno. Shred the cheddar cheese. Fold the corn, red bell pepper, cilantro, scallions, cheddar cheese and jalapeno into the batter. Do not over mix. Allow the batter to sit for 5 minutes while you warm the oil.

In a large heavy-bottom skillet with high sides, add the oil and warm over medium-high heat. When the oil is warmed, reduce the heat to medium. Drop the batter by rounded tablespoonfuls into the hot oil making sure the heat is not too high (you want the inside and outside to cook evenly). Cook for about 3 minutes on each side until crispy and golden brown. [Note: Make sure that you are wearing oven mitts as you fry these and that you stand back from the stove as these are frying – the corn kernels will pop and very hot oil will splatter!] Fry them in batches, moving the cooked fritters to a sheet pan lined with paper towel to drain the excess oil. Don’t worry if the insides are a touch doughy after they are fried. They will set up in a matter of minutes. If the insides are too doughy, that means your heat is too high and the outside of the fritters are browning before the insides have a chance to cook.

Prepare the Avocado Cream: Remove the seed from the avocado and scoop out the avocado ‘flesh’ into a small bowl. Mash the avocado well with a fork. Add the sour cream. cilantro, fresh lime juice, and salt. Finely mince the jalapeno and the garlic clove and add it to the mixture. Using the same fork, mix and mash together the ingredients very well until the avocado is distributed evenly and the mixture is smooth. Garnish with cilantro. Serve the fritters warm and the cream cold.

From crumbsandtales.com