Monday, May 5, 2014

Rosie Makes Pimiento Cheese Fritters With Bacon Marmalade.


 
 I recently noticed a friend's post on Facebook.
She'd eaten at the Cypress Grill at the Embassy Suites in Hampton
and liked their pimiento cheese fritters with bacon marmalade.
Bacon marmalade???
This sounds like something right up Rosie's alley.
Thank you, Nancy, for the inspiration.

 This is going to be a two-day event for me.
 First, I made the pimiento balls.
OK.
 Pimiento blobs.

Pimiento Cheese
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
3 TB pimientos with a little liquid
2 TB mayo - Use the least amount to bind.
Mix all together.
Form into balls and freeze at least an hour.
I left mine overnight.

You could make a big batch of pimiento cheese balls
and freeze them so you'd have them on hand for a quick appetizer.



 Bacon Marmalade
8 ounces bacon, diced
1 medium onion, minced
1/4 cup brown sugar
`1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 TB maple syrup (Use the real deal.)
1 tsp coarse grained mustard
freshly ground pepper

Cut the bacon into small dices
and fry over low heat until crisp.
Take your time so the bacon cooks evenly and slowly -
about 20 minutes, pushing the bits around every now and then.
Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels.
Reserve about 1 TB bacon grease in the pan.
Add in onions and cook until onions are tender and translucent.
Add in brown sugar and cook about a minute.
Add in vinegar and mustard and cook until vinegar evaporates.
Add in maple syrup and pepper.
Return bacon to pan and stir to coat.


8 ounces diced bacon
Slow, low heat.
About 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.


  
 This is outrageously good stuff!

  On to the fritters!

Rosie's Pimiento Cheese Fritters
1 cup flour
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Pepper
enough buttermilk
enough panko breadcrumbs
frozen pimiento cheese balls
peanut oil

Mix flour, cayenne, and pepper.
Roll pimiento cheese balls in seasoned flour,
then buttermilk, and panko, pressing the panko in.
Repeat the roll through buttermilk and panko
to be sure the cheese ball is totally coated.

Fry 4 balls at a time in 350° peanut oil.
About 2 minutes, until lightly browned.

 My frozen pimiento cheese balls.

 Roll balls in seasoned flour.


 Roll through the buttermilk.

 And then the panko.

 
 350° peanut oil
Four at a time.
Never crowd the pan when frying.
It lowers the temperature of the oil,
giving you greasy results, not crisp and light.

 I heated up the bacon marmalade.
 
 And I fried the balls.

 Oh...
Wow.

 Ohhhh...
Even more wow.
With the bacon.
  


5 comments:

Catherine said...

Rosie my kids would eat these in a NY minute!! Blessings dear. Catherine xo

Rocquie said...

Oh wow is right. I dare not make these--we would hurt ourselves. I can only dream. . .
Rocquie

Marilyn said...

You are trying to kill us with food, aren't you? I wish I could reach through my computer screen and eat those all up!

Rosie Hawthorne said...

Catherine, the fritters were gone in a few minutes here. Remember, this is the South!

Sage, you must make this. I know you can't resist pimiento cheese. And that bacon marmalade is sumpin' else!

Marilyn, go ahead and make these. You'll be glad you did!

Rosie Hawthorne said...

BTW, I get the jars of roasted peppers and sub them for pimientos. Tastes the same and cheaper.