Swedish Timbales

Ingredients

• 0.75 cup flour
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 0.5 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method

Make a thin batter that coats without pooling. Whisk 90g flour, 2.5g salt, and 5g caster sugar, then add 120ml milk in two stages, stirring to break lumps. The batter should flow like single cream. Beat one egg separately, fold it in — the egg acts as a binder and helps the structure set. Stir through 15ml olive oil last; this enriches the crumb and aids release from the iron.

Heat 5cm of neutral oil (groundnut or vegetable) to 180°C in a deep, heavy pan. Use a thermometer; guessing leaves you with either raw batter or burnt shells. Submerge the timbale iron — a cylindrical or decorative mould with a handle — for three minutes. The iron must be hotter than the oil to grip the batter immediately. Test by dipping the iron into the batter: a thin layer should cling and sizzle when you plunge it back into the fat. If batter slides off or cooks too fast and browns before puffing, your iron isn't hot enough or the oil temperature has dropped.

Pour batter into a tall cup or jug. Dip the hot iron three-quarters of its depth into the batter — do not fully submerge it, or the cooked timbale won't release cleanly. Lower the loaded iron into the oil. The batter will separate from the iron and rise: this deep-frying separation happens because the moisture in the batter steams and expands, creating lift. Watch the colour — pale golden takes about two minutes. Don't rush; the centre needs to cook through. The shell should sound crisp when you tap it with a wooden spoon.

Use a slotted spoon to nudge the timbale off the iron once it's crisp and deep gold. Drain on brown paper or kitchen paper for a minute. The shells can be filled warm or at room temperature. The classic filling is creamed oysters, but chicken with mushroom velouté, or sweetbreads with brown butter, work equally well. The shells hold their crispness for two hours if kept in a warm, dry place; reheat briefly in a 160°C oven if they soften.