Leek Fritters with Green Garlic & Lemon

For the Batter:
1 bunch of Leeks
1/4 cup grated carrots (optional)
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 scallions trimmed and halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/4 cup all purpose flour 
1 teaspoon baking powder
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg
Olive oil for frying. 
For the Garlic Lemon Cream:
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
pinch of lemon zest
pinch of salt
1 stalk of green garlic

To prepare the batter: Trim the leeks leaving only the white and pale green parts. Halve them lengthwise and wash them if needed. Cut halves into 1/4-inch strips. Bring a pot of salted water to boil and then cook the leeks for 3-4 minutes or until they are slightly softened. Drain the leeks and wring them out in dish towel to remove excess water.

Transfer the leeks to a large bowl and stir in the scallions and carrots. In a small dish swish together the flour, salt, baking powder and pepper. Str together the dry ingredient, leeks and the egg until the mixture in uniformly coated. 

To fry the fritters: Heat your oven to 250º and place a baking sheet inside. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large heavy skillet and then turn down to med-low heat. Place spoonfuls of batter into the pan, being careful not to crowd them, and fry on one side for 3 min or until golden brown. Flatten the fritter on the top side with a spatula and then flip and fry until golden brown on the other side. Place fritters in the oven after you have fried them and then after the last batch keep them in the oven for an extra 10 min to finish cooking. 

To serve: Whisk together the lemon garlic cream ingredients until smooth. Spoon onto each fritter before serving!