Required: Four ounces of flour. Two whites of eggs. Quarter of a pint of tepid water. One tablespoonful of salad-oil or melted dripping. About four apples. Castor sugar. Frying fat.

Mix the flour and salt together in a basin.

Pour the oil into the tepid water. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour the oil and water gradually in, mixing them in slowly and smoothly . When all the liquid is added, beat the batter well, then, if possible, let it stand for one hour. Meanwhile peel the apples. Cut them into rings about an eighth of an inch in thickness. Stamp out the core from each slice with a small round cutter or a pointed knife. Put the pan of frying fat on the fire to get hot. Line a baking-tin with kitchen paper. When ready to fry the fritters whisk the whites to a stiff froth, and stir lightly into the batter. When a bluish smoke rises from the fat lift up an apple ring on a skewer, dip it into the batter. See that it is well coated with it, and slip off the skewer into the fat, and fry a light golden brown on each side; it will have to be turned as it will float. Lift it on to the paper to drain, then dust it with castor sugar, and keep it hot while the others are being fried.

If the pan is large enough, fry four or five rings at a time, but before putting in fresh ones see that the smoke is rising from the fat. Every now and then take out the pieces of batter which are left in the fat, otherwise they will burn. Serve the fritters as quickly as possible after frying, for they soon become tough.

Apple fritters