YumSugar

52 Weeks of Baking: Baked Doughnuts

YumSugar — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 07:57:31 -0700

Last week I saw that Tartelette went out and baked some delicious looking doughnuts. When I read her post I knew immediately - if not sooner - that I had found my next baking project. The recipe comes from another respected food blogger, so I knew I couldn't go wrong.

A packet of yeast and a few hours later, YumJimmy and I were noshing down on delicious baked doughnuts. The recipe has definitely got to be healthier than fried dough, but don't trick yourself too much, they're still dipped in butter and rolled in sugar. Or if you feel like it, go ahead and trick yourself, they're definitely worth it!

To get the recipe and see my step-by-step pics, read more

Baked Doughnuts
From Heidi Swanson at 101 Cookbooks

1 1/3 cups warm milk, 95 to 105 degrees (divided into 1 cup and 1/3 cup)
1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
5 cups all-purpose flour
A pinch or two of nutmeg, freshly grated
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
[I also used some brown sugar for the second batch]

Place 1/3 cup of the warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir in the yeast and set aside for five minutes or so. Be sure your milk isn't too hot or it will kill the yeast.
Stir the butter and sugar into the remaining cup of warm milk and add it to the yeast mixture.
With a fork, stir in the eggs, flour, nutmeg, and salt - just until the flour is incorporated.
With the dough hook attachment of your mixer beat the dough for a few minutes at medium speed. If your dough is too sticky, add flour a few tablespoons at a time. Too dry? Add more milk a bit at a time. You want the dough to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl and eventually become supple and smooth.
Turn it out onto a floured counter-top, knead a few times (the dough should be barely sticky), and shape into a ball.
Transfer the dough to a buttered (or oiled) bowl, cover, put in a warm place and let rise for an hour or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.
Punch down the dough and roll it out 1/2-inch thick on your floured countertop.
If you have a doughnut cutter, use that to cut the doughnuts, else use a 2-3 inch cookie cutter to stamp out circles. [I actually ended up using a small round plastic bowl with a relatively straight/sharp edge.]
Transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet and stamp out the smaller inner circles using a smaller cutter. If you cut the inner holes out any earlier, they become distorted when you attempt to move them. [I actually used a melon baller to cut the inner circle, and transfered them after cutting. They distorted a little bit, but they were still managable.]
Cover with a clean cloth and let rise for another 45 minutes.
Bake in a 375 degree oven until the bottoms are just golden, 8 to 10 minutes - start checking around 8.
While the doughnuts are baking, place the butter in a medium bowl. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a different bowl.
Remove the doughnuts from the oven and let cool for just a minute or two.
Dip each one in the melted butter and a quick toss in the sugar bowl.

Gobble up and enjoy!

View 29 Photos ›

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Yummy Link: Heidi Swanson's Recipes To Go

YumSugar — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:18:39 -0700

For those of you lucky enough to have scored an iPhone last week, you can now enjoy Heidi Swanson's gorgeous recipes on the go! - 101 Cookbooks

Oh and if you don't have a web-enabled phone, you can always try to win an iPhone over at geeksugar!

Yummy Link: Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

YumSugar — Fri, 04 May 2007 06:31:19 -0700

If you don't live close to a pinkberry yogurt shop, then you might need to learn how to make it on your own - here's a great frozen yogurt recipe to help you get started. - 101 Cookbooks

Yummy Links: From Veggie Burgers to Bees

YumSugar — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 16:19:14 -0700

The amazing Heidi Swanson has just released a new cookbook, and if it is as amazing as this recipe for Ultimate Veggie Burgers, then we're all in for a treat. - 101 Cookbooks
Just in time for St. Patrick's Day comes this recipe for a Chocolate-Whiskey Cake with Fluthered Cream (btw, fluthered is Irish slang for drunk) - Chow
Apparently the new trend is ridiculously expensive foods. Here we have the $1000 pizza and the $100 Coconut Cake. - Serious Eats
Can you write a great jingle? Then enter the Jingles for Pringles contest. The winner gets to go to the American Idol finale. - Slashfood
Looks like Ruth Reichl's (former restaurant critic for the NY Times/current editor for Gourmet magazine) third book is being turned into a movie. - Megnut
I keep meaning to talk about how freaky it is that all the bees are disappearing. If you're interested, check out this article with a link to an interesting podcast. - eggbeater

Super Natural Cooking for the Rest of Us

YumSugar — Thu, 10 May 2007 05:58:32 -0700

One of my favorite websites is 101 Cookbooks by Heidi Swanson. So, when I found out that Heidi's cookbook, Super Natural Cooking was finally published, I had to get my hands on a copy. I had no idea that it would become one of my most favorite cookbooks - I have even taken to reading it before bedtime - especially since it's one that's "good for me." And yet, I can't stop myself from gushing about this book, I've told so many people about it, and plan on getting a copy of it for many others. It is handsdown one of the most gorgeous cookbooks I've ever seen (and I've seen a lot of cookbooks). The beautiful photography and layout really draw you into the book, and the recipes look so delectable, if it wasn't for some of the odd ingredients, I might not have realized it was "healthy."

Designed for people who want to easily incorporate healthier, natural, whole-foods into their cooking style, Super Natural Cooking is surprisingly modern and fresh. It manages to do it without coming across as stuffy, preachy or annoyingly hippy. There are general guidelines on how to begin thinking in these terms, tips on how to stock a whole-food pantry and great definitions too. Seriously, this book is fantastic (see, gushing about it again), the recipes are great, simple and there are even substitutions for some of the harder to find ingredients. If you've always thought that healthy food meant disgusting food, this book will make you think again.

Jimmy's one of those people who hate "healthy food", so it was difficult convincing him to try something from a book called Super Natural Cooking, but once I showed him the recipe for Muhammara-Slathered Kabobs (and promised that we could use chicken instead of tofu) he was sold on the idea. The muhammara had a nice rich flavor that really brought a nice complexity to the kabobs - I've been enjoying the leftovers on chips too. I tried to find a salad to pair with it, but in the end I really wanted to try the Clemenquat Salad and so opted to make it as a starter. The celery brought a fantastic crunch to the salad and the tang from the citrus really paired well with the parmesan - I believe I just found my new spring staple.

To check out the recipes for Muhammara-Slathered Kabobs and Clemenquat Salad, read more

And if you need something to wash this down, I suggest trying Heidi's White Sangria.

Muhammara-Slathered Kabobs
Reprinted with permission from Super Natural Cooking: Five Ways to Incorporate Whole & Natural Ingredients Into Your Cooking by Heidi Swanson. Photographs by Heidi Swanson. Copyright 2007. Published by Celestial Arts.

1 tbsp red pepper flakes (or 1 small chile)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 cup toasted walnuts
1/4 cup whole-grain bread crumbs (coarse)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses (or pomegranate juice)
1/4 cup tomato paste
2-3 roasted bell peppers
1/2 to 1 cup warm water
1/2 tsp fine-grain sea salt

2 red onions (cut into 6 wedges)
3 lemons, each cut into 4 lengthwise wedges
12 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into 12 equal-sized cubes
12 mushrooms
extra-virgin olive oil
fine-grain sea salt

Prepare a medium-hot grill; if the temperature is right, you should be able to hold your hand a few inches above the grate for 4 or 5 seconds.
In the meantime, make the muhammara. Using a hand blender (preferably) or a conventional blender, puree the pepper flakes, cumin, walnuts, bread crumbs, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, tomato paste and red peppers to a smooth, even consistency. Mix in the warm water in increments to achieve an easily spreadable consistency similar to a thick yogurt. If you're going to use it for dipping, you might want to make it a bit thicker. Stir in the salt and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Onto 6 medium-length skewers, thread an onion wedge, a lemon wedge, a cube of tofu [we actually used cubes of chicken that were sprinkled with salt & pepper], and a mushroom, then repeat. Brush each kabob generously with olive oil and season with salt. Put the kabobs on the grill and cover. Cook, rotating regularly and brushing with olive oil every few minute until onions are tender [or until chicken is cooked] - about 12 minutes.
To eat, slather each kabob with muhammara, slide off the skewers and squeeze the juice from the roasted lemons over everything.

Makes 6 [delicious!] kabobs.

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Clemenquat Salad with Walnuts and Parmesan Shavings
Reprinted with permission from Super Natural Cooking: Five Ways to Incorporate Whole & Natural Ingredients Into Your Cooking by Heidi Swanson. Photographs by Heidi Swanson. Copyright 2007. Published by Celestial Arts.

6 or 7 clementines
7 stalks of celery, stripped of strings
10 kumquats
3 big handfuls of walnut halves, toasted
juice of 1/2 a lemon
2-3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
fine-grain sea salt
fresh ground pepper
block of parmesan cheese

Cut away the top and bottom ends from each clementine with a serrated knife, removing just enough to get to the flesh. Rest each clementine on one flat end and slice downward, cutting off the peel in 4 or 5 big strips. If you don't like citrus membranes, cradle the fruit in one palm and cut out each segment by running the knife between the fruit and the membrane one the sides of each segment. Otherwise, just pull the clementines into segments by hand. Either way, you'll want to remove any seeds. Place in a bowl.
Slice the celery 1/8 inch thin on a slight diagonal and add to the bowl. Using a serrated knife as not to crush the kumquats, slice them into 1/8-inch-thick rounds and add to the bowl. When you hit seeds in the kumquats, pop them out with the tip of your knife. Add the toasted walnuts.
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, a few pinches of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, then toss gently with clean hands so the fragile citrus pieces remain intact. Make Parmesan curls by running a vegetable peeler along the long side of the block of Parmesan and top each serving with a few curls.

Serves 4-6.

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Yummy Links: From Pizza Crusts to Tap Water

YumSugar — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:58:31 -0800

Discover what the top 10 crazy Asian pizza crusts are. - Slice
Learn more about Isaac Mizrahi's favorite cookbooks and kitchen techniques. - 101 Cookbooks
Check out this season's best cake recipes. - iVillage
In addition to being tasty, yogurt is also good for your mouth. - FitSugar
Learn how to make recipe-free Asian broiled tofu. - Chow
These macarons from Paulette look absolute divine. - Hostess with the Mostess
Submit your favorite Easter recipe and win beautiful art for your walls. - Create My Event
Disgusting! A Milwaukee chef is being charged for putting hair (including pubic) in steaks. - Consumerist
In better news, Los Angeles and British Columbia tied for the title of world's best tap water. - Slashfood

All the News That's Fit to Eat - Dec. 19, 2007

YumSugar — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 11:13:31 -0800

Looking for appetizer ideas? Mark Bittman brings you 101 simple appetizers in 20 minutes or less. Plus six books for wine lovers. - The
New York Times
Discover what top Bay Area chefs serve at home during the holidays. - San Francisco Chronicle
Looking for new traditions? Here is a new take on the Feast of the Seven Fishes. - Chicago Tribune
Still shopping for the food-lover/reader on your list? Here are the best cookbooks of the year. - Los Angeles Times
Cooking up goose is easier than you think. - Boston Globe
Three pastry chefs show artful ways to showcase unusual Asian fruit, including a persimmon tarte tatin. - Washington Post
Home cooks share their recipes for holiday candy. - Houston Chronicle
Learn how to cook a prime-rib roast. -The Oregonian

Source

Yummy Links

YumSugar — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 00:02:21 -0800

Ilan from Top Chef has just quit his job as line cook at Casa Mono. Did he quit because he won? Only time will tell. - Snack
I love the Bodum Double Wall glasses and was interested to see that there's now a set of sake glasses too. - Liquor Snob
Beautiful prose and a recipe for beautiful Black Pepper and Lime Oven Fries. - 101 Cookbooks
Remember that weird McDonald's ad glitch during Iron Chef? Food network is claiming a technical error. - Slashfood

One doughnut, hold the coffee. Modern science has created caffeinated doughnuts (thanks to FitSugar for this link). - Yahoo News
Turns out acclaimed food writer Ed Levine and I share the same weakness for Sour Gummy Bears. - Serious Eats

2007 Winter Fancy Food Show - Part 1

YumSugar — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 08:00:00 -0800

As you probably know, PartySugar and I have spent the last several days at the SF Fancy Food Show. Just so that you get the idea of what it's all about, let me start by saying that it's a bajillion square miles of food vendors, food packaging, gift baskets and anything and everything you can think of food related. Okay, so it wasn't really a bajillion square miles, but it was HUGE. There were over 1,000 companies from all over the world, hawking products ranging from homemade gingerbread to fiber water and everything in between.

While there we met some famous faces (Paula Deen, Martin Yan and Ina Garten) and some not as famous faces (Heidi Swanson from 101cookbooks.com and Cybele from Candyblog.com).

We also ate and drank everything. Cheese, chocolate, carica (a delicious chilean fruit), sparkling juice, sorbet, infused water, freeze dried fruit, infused liqueurs, drink mixers, cured meats, bacon, hot sauces, teas, pomegranate jelly beans and just about anything else people shoved into our faces. It was like food heaven - carpeted, flourescently lit food heaven.

Although there were over 80,000 items on display (I'm pretty sure I read that in one of the brochures), there were definitely some things we kept seeing over and over again. Some of the big trends were:

Anti-oxidants - the trend is still riding high, only this year it's goji berries
Infused waters and soda marketed for adults
Tea - especially a "blooming" tea
Goat milk products - move over little cows!
Infused liqueurs and easy drink mixers
Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate - actually seems that dark isn't a trend anymore, it's more of a standard

I'm working on posts for some of the big trends, so stay tuned. Also, we lured our amazing Sugar video producer with promises of free cured meats and candied apples, so stay tuned for some great video footage too! Now if only we had smell-o-vision, or better yet, taste-o-vision!