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Malakoff
Malakoffs de Vinzel: Vaud cheese fritters from the shores of Lake Geneva
In the wine villages of La Côte above Lake Geneva, especially Vinzel, Bursins and Luins, a malakoff is a dome of Gruyère bound with egg and white wine, set on a round of bread and deep-fried until puffed and golden. The name is said to come from Swiss soldiers who fought at the siege of the Malakoff fort in the Crimean War and brought a taste for cheese fritters home. Locals eat them at village festivals and in pinte-style wine taverns with a glass of chilled Chasselas, cornichons and pickled onions. The crust shatters to a molten, gently stringy inside that tastes of wine and nutmeg. Use Gruyère made with vegetarian rennet. Chef's tip: press the cheese mixture firmly into a tall dome over the bread and chill it for 20 minutes before frying; it holds its shape in the hot oil instead of spreading.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
To serve
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 10 ½ oz Gruyère cheese, 1 egg, 3 tbsp dry white wine, 1 tbsp plain flour, 1 clove garlic, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp black pepper and 1 tsp kirsch in a bowl into a thick, sticky paste that holds together when pressed.
Step 2: Cut 8 rounds from 8 slices white bread with a 6–7 cm cutter. Pile the cheese paste onto each round and press it into a firm dome about 3 cm high, pushing it right to the edge of the bread.
Step 3: Put the malakoffs on a plate and chill for 20 minutes so the cheese firms up.
20 minStep 4: Heat 1 litre sunflower oil in a deep, heavy pan to 350°F over a medium-high heat; a cube of bread should turn golden in about 40 seconds. Fill the pan no more than a third full.
8 minStep 5: Lower 2 or 3 malakoffs in, cheese side down, with a slotted spoon. Fry for 2 minutes, until the dome is puffed and deep golden, then turn and fry the bread side for 1 minute.
3 minStep 6: Lift out onto kitchen paper. The mistake to avoid is crowding the pan: the oil cools, the cheese leaks out and the fritters turn greasy. Let the oil come back to 350°F between batches.
Step 7: Serve at once, while the crust still crackles, with 2 ⅞ oz cornichons and 2 ⅞ oz pickled silverskin onions.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 25 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 39 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does malakoff take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of egg?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of dry white wine?
- Stock with 1 tsp white wine vinegar per 120ml (½ cup).
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