Does anyone remember the fried dough balls from Sir George's Smorgasbord?
Asked by
Kardamom (
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April 5th, 2015
I don’t know if Sir George’s Smorgasbord was a national chain, or just a Southern California restaurant thing. When I was a little kid in the late sixties and early seventies, we would get to go for dinner at Sir George’s Smorgasbord on occasion. I always thought of it as a very special occasion, because I loved the food. It was a fancy (fancy in my little kid’s mind) version of a cafeteria/buffet. Anyway, they had these delicious dessert items that were fried, round, dough balls, rolled in sugar and cinnamon. They were pretty big, between the size of a baseball and a handball. They were crispy on the outside and light and almost creamy on the inside (sort of like a deluxe version of a fresh from the fryer cake donut).
I can’t for the life of me remember what they were called. I’m guessing it’s some sort of Swedish or Danish name, since that is where Smorgasbord or Smörgåsbord comes from. They looked kind of like Abelskivers only they were not filled, not covered with powdered sugar, and they were more spherical in shape (rather than space ship shaped) and they were about twice the size.
They were one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in my life. I’ve had similar things, such as Greek Loukoumades and Indian Gulab Jamun, but they are not the same thing.
Does anyone have any idea what these delectable dough balls might be called? Extra points to anyone who can link an actual recipe.
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9 Answers
In Germany, you can get “Krapfen” at the bakery at certain times. They are round, fried and sugared. They are made with or without “Quark”, which is a thick kind of yogurt. Here is a picture and a recipe. It’s in German, but if you want to try and make them, I’ll be happy to translate.
They sound kind of like zeppoles (pronounced “zep-po-lees”) but zeppoles are covered with powdered sugar only, not cinnamon sugar. Zeppoles are often found at country fairs and Italian restaurants.
^^ Reminded me of Zeppoles as well — which were just in abundance leading up to Easter at our local Italian bakery.
My mother-in-law makes them homemade too. Super yummy.
@longgone that does look like them, except they were covered in sugar and cinnamon instead of powdered sugar.
@jca and @cookieman The zeppoles look similar, but I think they are a bit smaller, more free form in shape, and from the looks of the insides of them, they are not as uniform, in that they had big air holes in them.
Either way, I’m craving any of these items right now.
@Kardamom The ”… big air holes in them.” suggests maybe they were made with yeast?
@jca Oh my those look good.
@Adagio I’m guessing the ones from Sir George’s didn’t have yeast in them. They didn’t taste like other bread-like things that have yeast in them. They had more of the consistency of a cake donut inside, but the outside was crispy.
You made me want to try and make those things. The recipe seems super-simple, too. I’ll let you know how it goes!
They were called fritters, the reason for going there. My mom wouldn’t let me get more than two.
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