(and the fact that a friend's father was the
inventor of the Munchkin (prior to his intervention,
the punched-out dough balls were worked back into
the mass, and when that became economically
unfeasible, discarded altogether - he made a profit
center out of an annoyance and liability).
We call Munchkins Timbits here.
Munchkins, Dimwits, they're all the same. Gosh,
I'm in the mood for a duff-nut right now.
Doughnut Trivia: Canada has more doughnut stores per capita than
any other country and consequently we consume more of them per
capita than anyone else.
According to the perhaps biased source Raw Food
Explained, the per caput doughnut consumption in
the US is 750/year, over two a day. If your country
exceeds that, well, I pity you.
Title: Apple-Cider Doughnuts with Maple Glaze
Okay until
MAPLE GLAZE:
1 1/4 c Confectioners' sugar
1 ts Pure vanilla extract
1/3 c Pure maple syrup
Why would you need that much vanilla? Not to
mention any at all, if the syrup is good.
French crullers
Categories: doughnuts
Yield: 10 to 14
1 c water
6 Tb unsalted butter
2 ts superfine sugar
1/4 ts salt
1 c all-purpose flour, sifted
3 lg eggs, divided
1 to 2 egg whites, slightly beaten
vegetable oil for frying
basic sugar glaze
Place the water, butter, sugar, and salt in a
heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a brisk boil
over medium high heat. Add the flour and stir
with a wooden spoon until the flour is
completely incorporated. Continue to cook and
stir for 3 to 4 min to steam away as much water
as possible. The more moisture you can remove,
the more eggs you can add later and the lighter
your pastry will be. The mixture is ready when
a thin film coats the bottom of the pan.
Move the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer
fitted with the paddle attachment. Although you
can mix the pate a choux by hand, this can be
rather arduous, so use a mixer if you have one.
Stir the mixture for about 1 min to allow it to
cool. Then mix on medium speed and add the first
egg. Let it mix in completely and then scrape
down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining
eggs, one at a time, and mix in completely. Add
the egg whites, a little at a time, until the
paste becomes smooth and glossy and will hold a
slight peak when pinched with your fingers. Be
careful not to add too much egg white or your
crullers will become heavy. Transfer the batter to
a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2" star piping tip.
To fry the crullers, heat at least 2" oil in a
heavy-bottomed pot until a deep-fat thermometer
registers 370F. While the oil is heating, cut out
twelve 3-x-3" squares of parchment paper and
lightly grease them. Pipe a ring onto each
square. When the oil is hot, place one cruller
at a time in the oil, paper side up. Remove the
paper with tongs. Fry on each side until golden
brown, 2 to 3 min. Remove with a slotted spoon
and drain on a paper towel for at least 1 min.
Once cool, the crullers can be glazed.
Crullers also bake very well, although they will
have slightly firmer crusts than the fried
versions. Preheat the oven to 450F. Line a baking
sheet with parchment paper and pipe the crullers
onto it, at least 2" apart. Bake for 5 min, then
reduce heat to 350F and bake for another 15 min.
Turn off the heat, open the oven door slightly
and let the crullers sit in the cooling oven for
5 to 10 min. Remove, dip in glaze, and cool on a
rack until the glaze has set.
Beignets, the classic New Orleans fried dough
treats, use this same batter and are even easier
to prepare. Simply drop rounded teaspoonfuls of
the batter into the oil. As the dough puffs, the
beignets will turn themselves over - but keep an
eye on them and flip any that need a little help.
Lara Ferroni, Doughnuts, via epicurious.com
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