Buenos Aires-Style Apricot Fritters

Ingredients

• good apricots, halved and pitted
• grape aguardiente (aguardiente de uva, grape spirit) (for soaking)
• powdered sugar (dissolved in the spirit)
• 1 lemon peel, in pieces
• 2 handfuls flour
• 1 glass milk
• butter (in the batter)
• 1 small glass aguardiente (in the batter)
• 1.5 egg whites, beaten to foam
• salt
• butter (for frying)
• sugar (for dusting / caramel)

Instructions

1. Halve and pit apricots; soak them two hours in grape aguardiente with dissolved powdered sugar and lemon peel.
2. Make a batter of flour, milk, butter and a little aguardiente.
3. At frying time fold in beaten egg whites and a pinch of salt.
4. Drain the apricots, wrap in batter, and fry in boiling butter.
5. Dust with sugar, or briefly oven-set to caramelize it.