Icelandic Ástarpungar, Take #1

This past summer, we went to Iceland for a short holiday, on our way home to Canada, from Brussels. I had Ástarpungar, I’m talking back in August, and haven’t stopped thinking about it. These unyeasted, baking powder and baking soda leavened dough balls are delicious. It reminded me of Nigerian buns aka Bonz, and in some small way, of Puff Puff. They also somehow remind me of Calas, rice fritters, and Dutch Olieballen. The dried fruit really works well, as do the extracts and spices.

The first step was to find a recipe. I did from Iceland Food Centre. I read the recipe several times but should also have watched the video before where baking soda appears – it isn’t, however in the written recipe.

According to Iceland Food Centre, the name translates as love balls “The Icelandic word ástarpungar, ástar = love, pungur = sacks (yeah, like ballsacks) or a small purse.”

I wanted to capture a certain wistful aroma and flavor and there was none better than Fiori di Sicilia, flower of Sicily, an aromatic extract that is at once citrusy heaven, with the delightful fragrance of vanilla.

epicurious says "...has a distinct aroma: bright and citrusy, but with warm undertones of vanilla and bergamot, an aroma you might recognize from Earl Grey tea. The scent has a can’t-put-a-finger-on-it quality that makes it utterly intoxicating."

J describes them as nice-textured, somewhat like a muffin, and even as a non-passionate as she is about dried fruit, she didn’t mind the currants. She also shared how remarkable it was that they didn’t taste deep-fried.

D liked them, the exterior was craggy with crunchy bits – so so so so good. I think he – and I – thought they were a tad bit dense. And that raisins over currants was the way to go for sure – larger, perhaps soaked prior. I toyed with the idea of boozy fruitcake mix but I don’t think D is keen on it.

We all thought they could be sweeter, and have more cardamom flavor, a situation we remedied by dusting with cardamom-sugar at the end, which I rather like for the fresh hit of cardamom aroma you get.

There will be a Take 2 – I have so many things I’d like to do differently, including shaping the dough into the oil, by hand rather than with spoons – like Nigerians do with puff puff. Stay tuned.

Love balls – Ástarpungar, adapted from Iceland Food Centre – my notes and additions are in italics.

Ingredients

2 eggs, at room temperature

75 grams (vanilla) white, granulated sugar

400 grams plain all-purpose flour, sifted (I’ll use less in Take 2)

3 teaspoons baking powder, sifted (I’ll add 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of baking soda in future)

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

70 grams currants (I was out of raisins – and will use them next time)

250 ml whole milk (I increased the original from 200 – 250 ml)

1 teaspoon Fiori de Sicilia (the recipe calls for vanilla essence)

1/2 teaspoon lemon oil (the recipe calls for essence. I think I might also add some zest in future)

1 teaspoon cardamom extract (I made some!)

1 litre vegetable oil for frying (high-smoke point, neutral oil is how I’ll describe it in my recipe)

Dusting sugar – 1/2 cup icing sugar + 1 teaspoon green ground cardamom, combined in a jar

Directions

Step 1 | Whisk eggs & Sugar. You can do this by hand but I opted for the stand mixer for this step. Combine the eggs and sugar. Whisk on medium to high speed until light-colored, frothy, and thick, about 30 minutes. Stop ever so often to clean the sides back into the bowl so it is all evenly mixed.

Step 2 | Combine the dry ingredients – While the eggs and sugar are whisking, prepare the dry ingredients. In a large bowl (enough to hold the entire mixture including the egg-sugar mix), combine the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk well, add the currants, and whisk again to distribute them evenly. Make a well in the centre for the wet mix.

Step 2 | Combine the wet ingredients – In another container, combine the milk, Fiori di Sicilia, lemon oil, and cardamom extract. Mix well.

Step 3 | Bring it all together. Pour the milk and extract mixture into the well, at the centre of the dry ingredients. Fold with a spatula, until a shaggy dough forms with nary a dry spot, if you can manage it. Add the egg mixture – spreading it all around might make it easier to incorporate into the mixture. Gently fold until a uniform texture is achieved.

Step 4 | Cook. Heat up 2 to 3 inches of oil in a deep pot, on medium-high heat (about 175 – 180 deg C). Test with a pinch of dough which should brown in 10 to 30 seconds. With 2 tablespoons (I like to dip them in oil) – 1 to scoop the dough, the other to push off into the oil, carefully spoon the batter into the hot oil. Repeat until the pan is full but not overcrowded. Fry for 4 to 6 minutes, depending on how large the balls are. Turn , if they don’t “roll over”, so they cook evenly on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon, into a colander.

Step 5 | Set and Dust. Select a number of Ástarpungar onto a plate. Put some of the cardamom sugar into a mesh-strainer. Dust the tops of the fritters, and enjoy.