Banana Fritters

This recipe comes from Yolele! Recipes From The Heart of Senegal by chef Pierre Thiam. I highly recommend this cookbook. It's full of easy to follow recipes wonderful pictures of people and food. The cookbook is hard cover which is a plus to me. I had the wonderful opportunity to take a class with this awesome chef. Pierre was such a great teacher, very sweet and humble person. His passion for food and sharing his culture was so inspiring.

This banana fritters are very light and yummy. It's pretty easy to make and I could see so many possibilities to make different variations like maybe dipping part of the fritter in chocolate or using very ripe plantains. I think you can get really creative with this recipe.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
6 Tablespoons sugar
3 eggs
1 cup milk
4 or 5 ripe bananas
vegetable oil for deep-frying
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Part 1
In large bowl, stir the flour and sugar together. With an electric mixer, beat in eggs one at a time. Slowly add the milk and mix until the batter is smooth and stretches like a ribbon.
Part 2
Coarsely chop the bananas and place them in a bowl. with fork, mash the bananas into a smooth puree. Stir the puree into the batter and let the mixture rest for at least 30 minutes before frying.
Part 3
Pour the oil into a deep saucepan to a depth of 2 to 3 inches and heat to 365 degrees (really important) Drop 2 tablespoons banana batter into the hot oil, deep-frying 2 or 3 fritter at a time leaving enough space so they can spread. Fry until golden brown, turning once with slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar ( my favorite part!) and serve warm.