Food Thread

Cake Donuts
Rev: 210716 0950

When I was a kid (1950’s & early ‘60’s) the family would visit my grandmother in NH for 2 weeks each summer.
All the heating & cooking was done on wood burning stoves.

Every morning, she would bake bread & make cake donuts (the best I have ever had).
I really don’t care for yeast donuts. (I do like crullers.)

I have tried previously to duplicate her donuts, with unsatisfactory results.

I think these will be good. I’ll report tomorrow after coffee !

Ingredients:
Eggs
Buttermilk
Sugar
Lemon zest

AP Flour
Baking soda
Baking powder
Salt
Nutmeg

Butter

Fry at 375°F for ~ 3 min.; flipping 3 or 4 times.

P.S. The donut cutter used belonged to my grandmother. :)

210716 Cake Donuts - Mase en Place -IMG_0686 (002).JPG
210716 Cake Donuts -IMG_0687 (002).JPG
 
Last edited:
GregManning said:
Cake Donuts
Rev: 210716 0950

When I was a kid (1950’s & early ‘60’s) the family would visit my grandmother in NH for 2 weeks each summer.
All the heating & cooking was done on wood burning stoves.

Every morning, she would bake bread & make cake donuts (the best I have ever had).
I really don’t care for yeast donuts. (I do like crullers.)

I have tried previously to duplicate her donuts, with unsatisfactory results.

I think these will be good. I’ll report tomorrow after coffee !

Ingredients:
Eggs
Buttermilk
Sugar
Lemon zest

AP Flour
Baking soda
Baking powder
Salt
Nutmeg

Butter

Fry at 375°F for ~ 3 min.; flipping 3 or 4 times.

P.S. The donut cutter used belonged to my grandmother. :)

View attachment 76925
View attachment 76926
Click to expand...

Cake Donut Report:
Donuts were entirely edible but could be improved. They were a little dense.

Next Time:
More leavening agents.
Roll out dough thinner, prior to cutting donuts. (Use 3/8” thick, instead of ½”.)
Use a little more lemon & nutmeg.
Use a mix of King Author, AP Flour (11.7 g protein); and King Author, White Whole Wheat Flour (12.2 g protein.)
 
GregManning said:
Cake Donuts
Rev: 210716 0950

When I was a kid (1950’s & early ‘60’s) the family would visit my grandmother in NH for 2 weeks each summer.
All the heating & cooking was done on wood burning stoves.

Every morning, she would bake bread & make cake donuts (the best I have ever had).
I really don’t care for yeast donuts. (I do like crullers.)

I have tried previously to duplicate her donuts, with unsatisfactory results.

I think these will be good. I’ll report tomorrow after coffee !

Ingredients:
Eggs
Buttermilk
Sugar
Lemon zest

AP Flour
Baking soda
Baking powder
Salt
Nutmeg

Butter

Fry at 375°F for ~ 3 min.; flipping 3 or 4 times.

P.S. The donut cutter used belonged to my grandmother. :)

View attachment 76925
View attachment 76926
Click to expand...
You’re a hell of a Chef Sir
Kudos
 
VenasNursery said:
You’re a hell of a Chef Sir
Kudos
Click to expand...
Thank you.
But I am certainly not a “chef”.

The term is widely over-used & does not do justice for those that really are chefs.
(The world of chefs is NOT what you see on TV. It is very long hours, tight/hot working quarters. Difficult personnel management, $, service timing, etc.)

At restaurants, I frequently tip 1) the server & 2) send a tip to the kitchen.

I’ve said before, my younger brother was a chef for probably 40 years, working in, among other high-end jobs, the Executive Dining Room for Royal Dutch Shell in Amsterdam, Holland; etc, etc.

My best cooking compliment, was from him during a visit to my house; I severed him a lamb stew.
He said "I would serve that." ! ! !

I am just a hobby-home cook with a pretty fair flavor palate, and a wide range of interests, tastes & cuisines.
I also like “experimenting” with “unusual & familiar” flavors, techniques, styles, etc.

LOTS of my trials, take 3 or 4 attempts to get "OK'd".
As you may infer, I do document at lot ! !

Thanks again !
 
Last edited:
Cake Donuts
Rev: 210718 1350

These Cake Donuts are pretty close to my grandmother’s early morning wood stove cooked donuts.
I like the little crispy bits around the outside / edges.
(I don’t think she had lemon oil/extract.)

One alternative to serve these for breakfast, is to cut them in half; then grill the inner crumb in butter to brown; add REAL maple syrup.

2 eggs
1 c buttermilk (227 g)
1 c sugar (198 g)
¼ t lemon oil / extract

1 c King Arthur, White Whole Wheat Flour (113 g)
3-1/2 c King Arthur, AP Flour (418 g)
1 t baking soda
3 t baking powder
1 t nutmeg, ground
½ t salt

2 T butter, gently melted (28 g)

Preheat fryer to 375°F.

Mix wet ingredients in second bowl (except butter)
Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl.

I used a Hobart N50 / Kitchen-Aid w/ a batter paddle:
Add wet to dry, then add butter. Mix for 2 min.

Transfer very wet dough of well-floured board.
Roll out dough to 3/8” thick.
Try to complete in ~ 2 more min.
(Leavening agents start to release CO2 immediately after mixing liquid)
Fry 3 cut donuts / batch for 4 min. Flipping 4 times.

Completed 15 donuts in ~ 45 min.

210718 Cake Donuts Batch -IMG_0689 (002).JPG
210718 Cake Donuts -IMG_0690 (002).JPG
 
Fried Mashed Potato Balls - (using left-over mashed)
Rev: 210719 1520

Mashed potatoes:
Baked 350°F for 60-75 min.
Scoop out meat
Add black pepper; butter; Ricotta; Parmesan-Reggiano
Mash w/ potato masher (I use a serpentine wire masher)
Refrigerate

Balls & Breading:
Scoop out ~ 2 T of mash mixture; form into ball shape. (1/2 of large potato makes six ~ 1-1/2” diam. balls)
Roll in AP flour; set aside for ~ 1 hr (the rest allows the flour to “dry-out” the potato surface)

Re-Roll balls in AP flour for a 2nd time.
Coat w/ egg wash.
Coat w/ Panko.

Fry:
325°F for 4 min.

Surprising result: The crust formed a shell, with a small air pocket all around the potato !
I’ll have to see if I can repeat this result.

Severed w/ left-over smoked turkey thigh slices.

The dipping sauce is a new Vietnamese, Red Boat “Braising Sauce / Glaze”, called KHO Sauce.
It is based on Red Boat Fish Sauce.

I have been using Red Boat Fish Sauce for many years. (at least 2012)
It is by far the best that I have tasted. A dash adds a very nice Umami to many dishes.
Most people (99%), will never know it is an anchovy-based sauce; it just adds richness, and flavor.

I frequently add Fish Sauce to soups, stews, gravies, meat seasoning, etc.

210719 Fried Mashed Potato Balls -IMG_0691 (002).JPG
 
Last edited:
GregManning said:
Fried Mashed Potato Balls - (using left-over mashed)
Rev: 210719 1520

Mashed potatoes:
Baked 350°F for 60-75 min.
Scoop out meat
Add black pepper; butter; Ricotta; Parmesan-Reggiano
Mash w/ potato masher (I use a serpentine wire masher)
Refrigerate

Balls & Breading:
Scoop out ~ 2 T of mash mixture; form into ball shape. (1/2 of large potato makes ~ 1-1/2” diam. balls)
Roll in AP flour; set aside for ~ 1 hr (the rest allows the flour to “dry-out” the potato surface)

Re-Roll balls in AP flour for a 2nd time.
Coat w/ egg wash.
Coat w/ Panko.

Fry:
325°F for 4 min.

Surprising result: The crust formed a shell, with a small air pocket all around the potato !
I’ll have to see if I can repeat this result.

Severed w/ left-over smoked turkey thigh slices.

The dipping sauce is a new Vietnamese, Red Boat “Braising Sauce / Glaze”, called KHO Sauce.
It is based on Red Boat Fish Sauce.

I have been using Red Boat Fish Sauce for many years. (at least 2012)
It is by far the best that I have tasted. A dash adds a very nice Umami to many dishes.
Most people (99%), will never know it is an anchovy-based sauce; it just adds richness, and flavor.

I frequently add Fish Sauce to soups, stews, gravies, meat seasoning, etc.

View attachment 76976
Click to expand...
Those sound great! I’m not sure about the tuekey though, it sounds overcooked it “severed” the potato balls!

And I like fish sauce too, I met it years ago dining with a Vietnamese family I used to know.
 
Reach said:
Those sound great! I’m not sure about the tuekey though, it sounds overcooked it “severed” the potato balls!

And I like fish sauce too, I met it years ago dining with a Vietnamese family I used to know.
Click to expand...
Ha, ha . . . . .
1. Seems neither of us can spell or type very well ? (tuekey vs turkey)

I remember being in 5th grade, and the teacher started the 1st round for the National Spelling Bee.
I went out on the first word.
Interestingly, a classmate placed 3rd at the National Spelling Bee 1963 ! ! !
(My poor abilities must not have been the teacher's fault !)

2. All fish sauces are not equal. Back in 2012, I taste tested as many as I could find.
Some I just poured down the drain.

Red Boat won by a landslide !
 
Last edited:
GregManning said:
Ha, ha . . . . .
1. Seems neither of us can spell or type very well ? (tuekey vs turkey)

I remember being in 5th grade, and the teacher started the 1st round for the National Spelling Bee.
I went out on the first word.
Interestingly, a classmate placed 3rd at the National Spelling Bee 1963 ! ! !
(My poor abilities must not have been the teacher's fault !)

2. All fish sauces are not equal. Back in 2012, I taste tested as many as I could find.
Some I just poured down the drain.

Red Boat won by a landslide !
Click to expand...
Oops. I usually do spell much better than that, but I’ve been working too much and haven’t slept much the last couple weeks. Clearly I need to sleep again soon.

Congratulations to your classmate on the spelling! I competed, but never placed well, each year I tried I made a foolish mistake and washed out. Science fairs I did better, missed the National competition one year by just one place.

I will have to look for Red Boat. I have Thai Kitchen in the refrigerator right now; it’s not bad but I’m sure there’s better options.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Kask Stihl NORTHEASTERN Arborists Wesspur TreeStuff.com Teufelberger Westminster X-Rigging Teufelberger
Back
Top Bottom