Friday, July 26, 2019

Did Someone Say Donuts????

I am not a big fan of donuts.  In fact, we don't go to Dunkin Donuts to buy donuts.  Again, I like a homemade Sufganiot during Chanukah, but not a huge fan of the mainstream donut.

Of course, when traveling, how can you not try local donuts like:

When in Philadelphia, PA we tried Beiler's donuts in Reading Terminal.  Who knew that donuts could be that delicious.

When in Kennebunk, Maine, I tried Satellite Donuts.

Once, I even tried Black Bird Donuts at SOWA.

One day I will try the donuts that my co-worker raves about in Maine, and that I caught on the Food Network, The Holy Donut.

Last week I purchased my first set of donut pans at King Arthur Flour in Vermont!  I made my first dozen last night and they were delicious.


King Arthur Baked Donuts
Makes 12 donuts

4 tablespoons) butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, to taste
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 2/3 cups All Purpose Flour
1 cup milk

Instructions


1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease two standard doughnut pans.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars until smooth.
3. Add the eggs, beating to combine.
4. Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla.
5. Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined. The batter will be fairly thick.
6. Spoon the batter into the lightly greased doughnut pans, filling the wells to about 1/4" shy of the rim.
7. Bake the doughnuts for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and wait 5 minutes before turning them out of the pans onto a rack.
8. For cinnamon doughnuts, shake warm doughnuts in a plastic bag with about 1/4 to 1/3 cup cinnamon-sugar. 





Sunday, July 7, 2019

Oven Polenta with Roasted Mushrooms and Thyme

Last night was the rare night, when it was just Adam and myself for dinner.  I took the opportunity to make a dish that the kids do not like at all.  Neither kid likes mushrooms.  Has been like that since they were inside the womb.


1.5 lbs of mixed mushrooms - shiitake, baby portabello, crimini
4 sprigs of thyme
8 garlic cloves - smashed
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
2 T unsalted butter
1 cup cornmeal
4 oz Parmesan, finely grated

Preheat oven to 325.  Combine mushrooms, thyme and garlic on two large baking sheets (use two so that the mushrooms are in one layer and not two).  Season with salt and pepper and drizzle olive oil.  Cook on two upper racks.

Bring 4 1/2 cups of water to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat and add butter and salt and whisk.  Bring to a boil and pour into a Pyrex pan (sprayed with Pam) and put into the oven for 25 minutes.

Remove Polenta from oven.

Check mushrooms.  If roasted, turn off oven.

Whisk Polenta and gradually add cheese while whisking.  Season with salt and pepper.

Divide the polenta into four bowls and place 1/4 of the mushrooms on top of the polenta.