Munchie Monday: Bell Fritters

The Macculloch recipe for bell fritters found in the handwritten cookbook of the Macculloch Miller family, interestingly, appears to be copied verbatim from Mary Randolph’s The Virginia House-Wife: or, The Methodical Cook published in 1824. Mary Randolph (1762-1828) was born on a plantation south of Richmond, Virginia. Her popular cookbook is recognized as the first with a distinct regional cuisine and had 19 editions printed until the beginning of the Civil War. By the 1830s and 1840s several other cookbooks were published containing Mary Randolph’s recipes copied word-for-word, including Mary Moore’s 1832 Receipts in Cookery. At least 56 recipes, or two-thirds of Moore’s cookbook, were copied from The Virigina House-Wife which Mary Moore acknowledged.

While the results of the bell fritter recipe are rather plain, Mary Randolph’s 1824 cookbook also includes an apple fritter recipe on the same page. The adapted Macculloch family recipe below includes suggestions for adding apple. The magazine, Virginia Living, commemorated the 200th anniversary of Mary Randolph’s cookbook and her influence in their October 2024 issue. The Virginia House-Wife Celebrates 200 Years | Virginia Living

 

Bell Fritter –Original Recipe

Put a piece of butter the size of an egg into a pint of water and let it boil a few minutes, thicken it very smoothly with a pint of flour. Leave it a short time on the fire, stirring it constantly. Pour it into a wooden bowl. Add five or six eggs, breaking one and beating it in, then another, and so on, till they are all in and the dough it quite light. Put a pint of lard in the pan and let it boil. Make the fritters small and fry them till they are of a light amber color.

 

Bell Fritter—Adapted Recipe (recipe is halved)

2 tablespoons of butter, softened

1 cup of water

1 cup of flour

3 eggs

Shortening or Canola oil for cooking

In a small saucepan heat butter and water. Let it boil.  Pour in flour all at once and whisk until incorporated. Let it cook, stirring constantly on low heat. Pour mixture into a bowl and add eggs, one at a time. Put shortening in frying pan and heat on medium heat. Add batter to make fritters 2 or 3 inches diameter. Flip over when amber brown color on one side. For additional flavor, add thinly sliced apples with cinnamon and powdered sugar and include in the batter. Serve warm with butter.

 

Learn more about Mary Randolph’s The Virginia House-Wife: or, the Methodical Cook from a post on the website of the Manuscript Cookbook Survey Mrs. N. K. M Lee | Manuscript Cookbooks Survey