I love, love, love doughnuts! Did you know it is National Doughnut Day? It wasn’t really on my radar, but my friend Gina reminded me of this important day on the culinary calendar and encouraged me to share my recipe.  She remembered I made these deep-fried delights for a bake-off awhile back. Actually, it’s not my recipe, but rather one that I made from the Big Sur Bakery Cookbook. Full disclosure, my doughnuts got beat out by a Leche de Carmel and Monica’s Macaroons…but they still were pretty darn good. I “jam-packed” them with homemade peach marmalade and drizzled them with a zesty glaze. These are delicious, worth the calorie splurge (I made sure to work extra hard in hip hop class today) and are the perfect way to celebrate this day — also a great surprise for breakfast in bed on Father’s Day, too.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon active dry yeast

2 ¼ cups bread flour plus extra for dusting

1 ¼ cups plus 1 tablepoon pastry flour

11/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar, plus extra for dusting

1 ½ teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg

5 tablespoons powdered milk

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for coating the bowl

1 egg

Canola oil for frying Doughnut glaze

Doughnut glaze (recipe follows)

Makes 1 dozen jelly or glazed doughnuts

Place ¼ cup lukewarm water in the bowl of an electric mixer, and sprinkle the yeast over the water. Stir, and then set it aside to activate for 5 minutes.

In another bowl, mix together the bread flour, pastry flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and powdered milk. Add 1 ½ cups of this mixture, ¾ cup cold water, the butter, and the egg to the yeast mixture. Combine in an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook on very low speed for 1 minute. Then, over a 1-minute period, add the remaining flour mixture. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Transfer the dough to a large buttered bowl (large enough to let the dough double in size), cover the bowl loosely with large a plastic bag (a white kitchen garbage bag worked well for me) and refrigerate over night.

The next morning, remove the dough from the refrigerator, turn it onto a floured surface, and roll it down until it’s ½ inch thick. If you’re making jelly-filled doughnuts, cut out 12 rounds with a 3 ¼ inch round cookie or biscuit cutter. If you want to make glazed doughnuts, cut the same 12 rounds and then turn them into ring by cutting a hole in the center of each one with a 1 inch cutter. Line a cookie sheet with a linen napkin and dust it generously with flour. Place the doughnuts and their wholes on the prepared cookie sheet. Put the entire sheet in a plastic bag and tie it loosely. Let the doughnuts rise in a warm part of the kitchen until they double in size, about 30 minutes.

While the doughnuts are rising, fill a large heavy-bottomed pot with oil about 2 inches deep, and heat it over medium heat until the oil reaches 350 degrees on a deep fry thermometer.

Working in batches, carefully drop the doughnuts, one by one, into the hot oil without overcrowding the pot. Fry until the doughnuts are golden brown, then flip them over and fry the other side – this should take about 4 minutes total. Test for doneness by picking out a sacrificial doughnut and cutting it right in the middle to see if it’s cooked through – this will help you gauge how much more time the doughnuts need. When they’re done, remove the doughnuts with a slotted spoon and place them on a plate lined with paper towels. Continue the process with the rest of the doughnuts and the holes (the holes will fry much faster). Let them sit until they’re cool enough to handle.

To make glazed doughnuts, dip the top of each doughnut into the glaze (ingredients and directions below) until half of the doughnut is coated. Shake off the excess. Put the doughnuts, glaze side up, on a cooling rack and let them dry slightly. Then toss the holes in sugar, place them on top of the doughnuts, and serve.

To make jelly doughnuts, use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke a hole three quarters of the way into each doughnut. Gently move it around to create a nice-sized cavern for the jam. Put the jam in a pastry bag fitted with a plain decorating tip. Insert the tip into the doughnut and fill it until it feels heavy (yum!!!) Repeat with the rest of the doughnuts. Dip these in the glaze as well.

Doughnut Glaze

Ingredients

1½ cups powdered sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons honey

Grated zest of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons whole milk

Wisk all the ingredients together in a bowl until a smooth glaze is formed. Keep covered until ready to use.

Drink: Strong black coffee

Photo by: Blue Caleel

Some meals I prepare with my little girls in mind, or particularly for my honey, or a menu dreamed up for a special guest, but this is a dish that is all for me.  This meal for one is tasty, crunchy, healthy and fast to prepare.

I always seem to have these ingredients on hand and this recipe easily lends itself to substitutions.  You switch the cheese type, add some chicken or turkey, change out the greens or herbs.  I use whatever is in my garden and my fridge that seems to fit.  It’s not a sandwich, it’s not a quesadilla, it’s not a salad, it’s really a combo of all three.

Crunchy Arugula Combo

(Serves 1)

1 whole-wheat flour tortilla (I buy Trader Joe’s whole-wheat & corn flour tortillas)

2 slices of jack cheese

1 large handful of arugula

Squeeze of lemon*

Drizzle of olive oil

Squirt of Sriracha sauce (Thai hot sauce)

5-6  thyme leaves

Pinch of sea salt

Get your grill pan or cast iron skillet on the stove and heat it on medium heat while you gather the rest of your ingredients. Place your whole-wheat tortilla in the dry hot pan and let it toast there until it begins to bubble.  Once it bubbles flip it on the other side. Place the cheese slices on the now warm side and sprinkle the thyme on top.  As the cheese melts, in a small bowl toss the arugula with the oil, lemon and salt. Give a gentle squeeze of Sriracha or salsa on the warm cheese.  By the time the cheese melts you are ready for the greens.  Put the tortilla on a plate and scoop the dressed greens on top of the spicy melted cheese and fold over.  Take a seat and dig in – totally yummy and satisfying.

*Note: I still have preserved lemons from our Moroccan cooking class, I have been using them in this recipe in place of the lemon juice.

On St. Patrick’s Day, I enjoy making a traditional meal to celebrate the 17th, corn beef, cabbage and potatoes. I make the whole thing in one pot, coating the cabbage and steamy potatoes with butter and sea salt. It’s delicious. I always make extra, because corn beef hash the next day is pretty darn incredible, too. Years ago, during my first spring harvest from my garden, on March 16th I wandered outside to see what was happening with my veggies and “ta-da” there in full force was a row of ready-to-be-harvested cabbage. I had a blonde moment of epiphany- so this is why the menu includes cabbage! While it may be obvious to some, it was another moment where I found new understanding and appreciation about the beauty and history of seasonal, holiday recipes.

In Santa Barbara we are fortunate to have such an amazing climate and have so many abundant choices compared to those poor, cold Irish folk. Because of this, I am going to serve something a little off the wall, but still green for appetizers. I discovered my first harvest of Shishito peppers. Have you had them? They are incredible. These Japanese peppers are thin, mild and tasty and every so often you find a semi spicy one, which is a little treat all unto itself. I normally grow them in the summer so I was surprised to find them so early in the season. (BTW I have lots of seeds if anyone wants them, let me know). What is St. Patty’s day in the states without a little cross culture?

Flash Fried Shishito Peppers.

20 Shishito peppers

2 tablespoons grape seed oil

2 pinches of Sea Salt ( I like Murray River or Maldon Sea Salt)

Clean and dry the peppers. Leaving stems on, that’s your handle. Heat oil on med high in a large skillet. When you see the oil move around add the peppers and sauté until they begin to blister. Put on a platter and sprinkle with salt. Serve immediately with a small deposit bowl for the stems.

Drink: We might venture to Japan for the appetizers, but we like to stay in Ireland for our beverage. Harp Pale Lager is a great fit for the food. If my friend Colleen comes over we might just have a finger (or 3) of Jameson!

Shopping notes:

Corn beef I buy pre-brined at White Foot Market.

I found the shishitos at Nikka Japanese Market in Goleta next to TJ’s.

Murray River Salt at Dean and Deluca and Maldon at Amazon (best price I have ever seen!)

For Valentine’s Day, I made these heart shaped sugar cookies for my daughter’s class. What sets these cookies apart is that they are made with wheat flour and a little less sugar than most sugar cookie recipes. They are still tasty, bake up chewy in the center and crunchy on the outside. To decorate, I used royal icing, but they also taste great plain.

The batch makes about 18 -24 cookies.

3 ½ cups white whole wheat flour, plus more for dusting (I buy mine at Trader Joe’s)

½ cup semolina

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Sift dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cream sugar and butter in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix eggs in one at a time and scrape the bowl with a silicon spatula to free up the stuck butter and eggs that form on the side. Add vanilla followed by dry ingredients and until fully incorporated.

Turn dough onto plastic wrap and form into a flat rectangular shape. Freeze for about 30 minutes until dough hardens (you can also put it in the refrigerator overnight).

Preheat oven to 325 (convection is preferred, but not mandatory)

Prepare two lined baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll dough out on a lightly floured work surface, until about 1 centimeter thick. Cut with cookie cutters starting from the outside and moving your way to the middle. Take the scraps to then form another disk shape and repeat…if dough is too soft return it to the freezer for 15 minutes to harden up a bit.

Bake for 18 – 20 minutes rotating the trays in the oven after about 8 minutes. Cool on wire racks completely before decorating.

Decorated for birthday fun…

I am back to my blog after a busy week. It was a culinary highlight having the opportunity to work with a remarkable, talented chef from Florence, Benedetta Vitali. Benedetta’s visit, two under-the-weather kids, Valentine’s Day and assisting with a very special birthday party on Saturday, made for a full week. Today, I want to share a few highlights and disclose a special pizza dough tip with you.

This year, my husband and I decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day with our “little valentines” and make it a family date. He sent flowers to all of us from my favorite floral arranger, Kerstin Horneman of Blue Magnolia http://www.bluemagnoliaevents.com (stay tuned for future floral tips from her). He sent me a huge arrangement filled with gorgeous dark ruby roses called “Love” that open up into heart shaped blooms, magnolia leaves, blossoming branches, spilling with orchids and dark burgundy calla lilies. The girls received sweet gold and cream mini hatboxes filled with multicolored pink peppermint roses and magnolia leaves.

For dinner, we made heart-shaped pizzas in our wood burning oven and chocolate fondue for dessert. Benedetta was here (her one day off on a month long tour) and she gave me a great tip: do not use olive oil in the dough because it weighs down its consistency. We tried it without oil and it was simply beautiful!

I am sorry this recipe did not make it out in time for Valentine’s Day, but it’s definitely worth the wait. It’s great for any day of the week and the kids love having a piece of the action.

Pizza Dough

Note: For the red sauce, I use “Aunt Penny’s Marinara” and let it reduce as the dough rises.

1 1/4 warm water

1 packet of rapid rise yeast

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 teaspoon sea salt

3 ½ cups “OO” flour

In a mixing cup combine warm water, yeast, and sugar and let sit for 5 minutes until bubbly. Mix salt and flour in a large bowl and stir in yeast mixture with a wooden spoon. Knead in the bowl for about 5 minutes…dough will be sticky. Cover bowl with and slightly wet towel (warm with hot water) and place in the warmest part of your kitchen. For me, this is usually on the stove. You can also let it rise slowly in the refrigerator overnight. In the fridge, it will stay good for use up to 3 days.

Tip: While the dough rises, (it will double in size and be ready to use in about 90 minutes) I make the marinara and let it reduce on the stove. This makes the stove area warm and the perfect temperature for the rising pizza dough.

Wine: With pizza, we almost always drink traditional styled sangiovese or nebbiolo wines from Italy.

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