Polenta, Apple and Ricotta Fritters

• 120 gm coarse polenta
• 120 gm plain flour
• 55 gm (1/4 cup) caster sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 150 ml pouring cream
• 1 egg
• Scraped seeds of ½ vanilla bean or ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
• 110 gm firm ricotta
• 2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, coarsely grated

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Citrus sugar

• 150 gm caster sugar
• Finely grated rind of ½ orange and ½ lemon

1. Combine polenta, flour, sugar, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a bowl, then add cream, egg and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Stand for 5 minutes to thicken slightly, then stir in ricotta and apple, making sure you don’t break up the ricotta too much – you want little lumps dispersed throughout the mixture.
2. For citrus sugar, combine ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a saucepan to 170C. Add rough tablespoonfuls of mixture to oil in batches (be careful, hot oil will spit) and deep-fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through (2-3 minutes). Drain briefly on paper towels, toss in citrus sugar to coat and serve hot.