Cheese Fritters

Another fabulous recipe from COCW!


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fresh whole milk ricotta
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
3 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
vegetable oil, for frying
a few sprigs of thyme
lemon

In a small bowl combine the ricotta, mozzarella, salt, and pepper. Place the panko crumbs into one bowl. In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Put the flour in a separate bowl. Line a tray with parchment paper.

Scoop a 1 1/2 tablespoon ball (between the size of a ping pong bowl and a golf bowl) of the cheese mixture into the flour and roll to coat. Transfer the ball to the eggs and roll to coat. Transfer the cheese ball to the panko and again roll to coat. Transfer the ball to the parchment-lined tray. Continue doing this until cheese mixture is gone. If it's hot in your house, you might want to chill the cheese balls for 30 minutes to an hour.

Meanwhile heat 3 inches of vegetable oil in a large skillet to 350 degrees F. Do a test fritter because the first one always screws up. Fry fritters in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan, until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towel to drain. When you are done with the fritters, place the thyme springs in the oil and fry for a few seconds. You can also bake these at 400 on a lightly greased cookie sheet for about 6 minutes just flipping them on the pan :)

Sprinkle fritters with thyme and salt. Squirt some lemon juice on top of the fritters.