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Cheese and Herb Fritters with Tomato Balsamic Jam

Cheese and Herb Fritters with Tomato Balsamic Jam

The spiced chickpea cakes that I made a short while back based on a recipe from Delia's Vegetarian Collection turned out so well that I decided to try another recipe from her book. This recipe that I have had bookmarked for quite some time is from the chapter devoted to cheese, but could just as easily been included in the one entitled "Food for Friends" since my friends were very impressed — so much so that next time I make these, I'll double the recipe. Honestly, if you love cheese, I can't recommend these highly enough.

I used feta, Gruyère and extra old Cheddar cheeses for these patties, but any number of cheeses would combine well here and I look forward to trying these again with some different varieties. I didn't alter Delia's recipe too much, except to replace the breadcrumb coating with cornmeal and, of course, I added more spice!

On the menu with:
Mixed Greens with Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
Honey, Lemon & Poppy Seed Cake

Cheese and Herb Fritters with Tomato Balsamic Jam

Cheese and Herb Fritters with Tomato Balsamic JamCheese and Herb Fritters with Tomato Balsamic Jam
Recipe by
Adapted from Delia's Vegetarian Collection
Published on April 1, 2008

Beautiful golden brown fritters with three cheeses and fresh herbs served with a rich tomato balsamic jam

Preparation: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 40 to 50 minutes

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Fritters:
  • 1/3 all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
  • fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons milk or yogurt
  • 4 oz (115 g) feta cheese, finely grated
  • 4 oz (115 g) Gruyère cheese, finely grated
  • 4 oz (115 g) extra-old Cheddar cheese, finely grated
  • 3 generous tablespoons chopped mixed herbs (parsley, basil, thyme or oregano)
  • yellow cornmeal for dusting
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
Tomato balsamic jam:
  • 2 large tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced or crushed
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • fresh ground black pepper
Instructions:
  • Combine the flour, paprika and cayenne in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Make a well in the center and whisk in the eggs until well combined. Now whisk in the milk or yogurt until you have a smooth batter. Stir in the grated cheeses and herbs. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

  • Tomato Balsamic Jam
    While the batter is chilling, prepare the tomato balsamic jam. Place the tomatoes in a medium bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 1 minute, then drain and gently remove the skins and chop.

  • Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saucepan. When hot, add the onion and garlic and gently cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Now add the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered over low heat until the liquid has evaporated — about 30 to 40 minutes.

  • To cook the fritters, shape 1 tablespoon portions of the batter into round 2 to 3 inch patties and dust each fritter with cornmeal.

  • Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add a few fritters at a time, cooking for about 45 to 60 seconds per side, or until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Repeat until all of the fritters are cooked.

  • Serve warm with generous dollops of the tomato balsamic jam.

Makes about 12 fritters or 4 servings

Cheese and Herb Fritters with Tomato Balsamic Jam

9 comments:

  1. Cheese fritters sound so good!!! The balsamic tomato jam also sounds really tasty. Bookmarked to try.

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  2. This sounds like fried cheese! Can't go wrong there :)

    I can imagine the delicious taste of the tomato balsamic jam, yum! Balsamic reduction is pretty fabulous on it's own but to combine it with tomatoes onion and garlic must result in something very special.

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  3. these look excellent - great combination of cheeses and the jam looks a perfect accompaniment

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  4. Love the Tomato Balsamic Jam and the fritters perfect. With the cheese I am sure one tasty snack.

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  5. hey lisa those fritters look wonderful...a keeper for sure:)

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  6. Man, these sound just perfect Lisa. I adore cheese so I am all over these already - then you add a tomato balsamic jam? Sounds like the best thing EVER.

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  7. i love the idea of the tomato and balsamico jam... yum!

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  8. These were unbelievably good. Thanks Lisa!

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  9. The fritters sound really good but I am more interested in that balsamic jam. I have a thing for balsamic vinegar. I am going to try this out when I can. Thanks for sharing, Lisa.:)

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