Loukoumades

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Narrative

Juniper Wycoff-Lanford

March 9, 2018

My mother used to be married to a Greek man. Every year we would go to Greek Fest as a family. We would eat gyros and lamb, watch the dances, and listen to the music. The sounds of the band, the bright colors, and smells of pastries and meats made me happy. My sisters and I would get up on the stage and dance, we’d go outside to get our faces painted, and run around with new friends. As the sun started to set, we would lay down it the dying grass and hear the last strands of music drifting from the central tent. We begged my mom to get dessert, she’d object at first, but eventually she would give in to the temptation of the sweet yeasty treats. The bakery smelled like cinnamon and freshly baked goods. We always ordered loukoumades and watched them fry it. I would sit outside and eat the messy dessert, and always wanted more.

Loukoumades

Serves 10 | 2 hrs 30min

Ingredients

  • 2 cups lukewarm water
  • 1 cup lukewarm milk
  • 2 packages dry yeast
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 ½ tbsp sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • More oil, for frying

Garnish

  • 1 cup honey
  • ¼ cup water
  • Cinnamon
  • Finely-chopped walnuts (optional)
  • Toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Directions

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water

Put it along with remaining dough ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well until batter is smooth

Cover and put in a warm place for dough to rise until it is approximately 3 times as large as it previously was, 1-2 hours

Heat the frying oil in a saucepan on the stovetop until hot

Dip a teaspoon into oil to coat it and spoon up some dough into the hot oil

Repeat until fritters cover the surface area of the saucepan, without overcrowding

Dip the spoon in oil, everytime the dough starts to stick to it

Fry the loukoumades in the hot oil until they are golden brown, pushing them into the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a serving dish with a paper towel for draining

Keep frying the rest of the batch

When done, pour hot honey syrup over them and garnish to taste. Serve immediately

To make honey syrup

Heat honey and water in a small saucepan and skim off the froth that forms on the top

Boil for five minutes and pour over loukoumades