Black Pepper Panisses With Cheddar
Made from chickpea flour, panisses are french-fry-like fritters common in parts of Italy and Southern France. Hot, crisp, and salty, they bear all the characteristics of a great snack to pair with drinks. The earthy, almost astringent quality of the chickpea flour is offset by a not inconsiderable amount of indulgent butter and aged sharp cheddar, just enough to render the insides of the panisses soft and custardy while the outsides remain delicately crunchy. Shower more cheese over the panisses while they’re still hot so some of it melts into a delectable thin, lacy layer.
The long strips are dramatic and pretty but you could cut the panisse into more manageable finger lengths and rebrand them as chickpea fries.
Recipe information
Total Time
45 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Whisk 1 cup (125 g) chickpea flour, 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, ¾ tsp. coarsely ground pepper, and 2¼ cups water in a cold medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot until no lumps of chickpea flour remain; add 4 Tbsp. (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces. Place over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the consistency of thick cake batter and a thin film forms on bottom of pan, 12–18 minutes (as mixture thickens, switch to a spatula for easy stirring). Remove from heat and mix in 2 oz. extra-sharp cheddar, finely grated (about ½ cup).
Step 2
Generously coat sides and bottom of a 9"-diameter cake pan with extra-virgin olive oil (about 1 Tbsp.). Scrape batter into pan and smooth surface with a small offset spatula or a spoon. Chill batter until set, at least 45 minutes.
Step 3
Uncover batter and invert disk onto a cutting board (if it clings to pan, wiggle a small spoon between batter and edges of pan to help release). Cut into long ¼"-thick strips. Heat ½ cup vegetable oil and remaining ½ cup extra-virgin olive olive oil in a medium heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high until an instant-read thermometer registers 350°. Working in 2 or 3 batches, fry batter strips, turning several times with a fish spatula or 2 forks, until golden all over and crisp, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer panisses to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet or paper towels to drain; sprinkle lightly with salt.
Step 4
Pile panisses on a platter. Top generously with more cheddar; season with pepper.
Do Ahead: Batter can be made 2 days ahead. Cover pan and keep chilled.
Recipe notes
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