WEEKEND BONUS RECIPE - KAPOK TREE CORN FRITTERS

I was so happy when I stumbled upon this recipe online. I have eaten these corn fritters at the Kapok Tree Restaurant and they were wonderful. They seemed to melt in your mouth. They actually tasted more like a dessert instead of a regular corn fritter. It must have been the confectioner's sugar that made them seem that way. Plus, they were never fried any darker than a light golden brown. The corn fritters were given with every meal regardless of the entree. It was one of their signature dishes.

The Kapok Tree was a very popular restaurant in Clearwater, Florida. People from all over the world would eat there when they were visiting the Tampa Bay area. They had many different rooms to dine in and each one was spectacular. The nice thing about the Kapok Tree was that even though you were surrounded in elegant, extravagant settings, the price of your meal was very reasonable. You would buy your meal tickets at a booth inside the restaurant. You would then present the tickets to the waitress at your table. The Kapok Tree opened in 1957 and closed their doors in 1991.

I have included a couple of pictures of the beautiful dining rooms at the end of the recipe.


INGREDIENTS
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 scant tablespoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup whole kernel corn
Cooking oil for deep frying
Confectioner's sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS

1. Resift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together
2. Add egg, milk and corn. Stir until blended.
3. Drop batter into cooking oil a teaspoonful at a time.
4. Maintain fat at 350 degrees and fry fritters until golden brown, turning once with a spoon to cook evenly.
5. Remove fritters from fat and drain on paper towel.
6. Serve piping hot on warm platter. Sprinkle fritters with confectioner's sugar before serving.


The Ballroom:



The Crystal Hall: