Love Balls (Aka Astarpungar in Iceland)

twissis's Note:

Mainly because of the title, I could not resist entering this recipe from "Cool Cuisine" (Traditional Icelandic Cuisine) by Nanna Rognvaldardottir. Per her intro: "These deep-fried balls should be eaten hot or warm. DO NOT make them too lrg or they will darken too much on the surface b4 they are cooked thru." Most of her intros have contained such fun, historical & colorful info that I was disappointed she did not give us the history of this recipe title. This is your basic raisin fritter & is commonly used as a sml sweet treat for children (after school & otherwise). Pls see note at the end of the prep Re Yield & Times. *Enjoy* !

• Total Time: 27 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 12 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 24

Yield: 24.0 Raisin ...

• 2 eggs
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 1 ¾ cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cardamom (freshly ground or may sub 2 tsp grated lemon zest)
• 6 ½ ounces milk (See prep step #2)
• 5 tablespoons raisins (chopped if at all lrg)
• vegetable oil (for frying)

Directions:

1. Whisk eggs & sugar in a bowl.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, cardamom & salt. Stir this mixture into the egg mixture, alternating w/the milk. (NOTE: You may not need all the milk. The batter should be thick & almost able to hold its shape.).
3. Fold in the raisins. Heat oil to 365°F.
4. Shape balls using 2 tablespoons & fry 5-6 at a time for 3-4 min or till med-brown & puffy, turning several times to cook evenly.
5. Remove w/slotted spoon, drain on absorbent paper & repeat process to use all batter.
6. NOTE #1 Re Yield & Times: I have not made this recipe & admit I have no plans to do so in the immediate future since my child-bearing yrs are ancient history. My prob entering this recipe was that there was not a hint of yield or times. That said, they were entirely guesstimated.
7. NOTE #2: I was a bit surprised there was no mention of plumping the raisins. I would favor doing that, but it's your choice.