delightful doughnuts

ok, so this doesn't really look like your typical doughnut. granted, it is a little black...well, lets just say i learned a thing or two about making doughnuts. obviously, you need to make sure the temperature of the oil is just right or you will get perfectly black balls of crust, like i did here; instead of getting gloriously golden and beautiful doughnuts (which you WILL SEE later, after a while of playing with the temperature i got it to the perfect temperature to make my balls of dough golden and BEAUTIFUL). well, the story of these babies is pretty simple, i was surfing the net for some new recipes to try out. my aunt had sent me a recipe for "peanutella" a while back. i know, i know, you may be asking yourself "what the heck is peanutella?" well, i will tell you^_~ peanutella is a wonderful concoction of peanuts ground up with cocoa powder to make a spread similar to nutella. i have to say i don't know why someone didn't come up with this sooner because i personally loooooove peanut butter and chocolate, the perfect mixture of flavors. ok, totally went off in a tangent...as i was saying, i was surfing the net for new recipes and i landed upon Smitten Kitchen and Tartelette. both equally amazing blogs and both used as inspiration for my dive into the world of doughnuts.

Peanutella (Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen):

2 cups shelled and skinned raw peanuts *I bought peanuts that were already shelled, skinned, AND roasted; saved me loads of time from having to roast my own nuts^_~*
1/2 cup of your darkest, richest unsweetened cocoa powder *I used Ghiradelli...YUM*
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt plus additional to taste (I used an extra 1/8 teaspoon)
3 tablespoons peanut oil

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the peanuts evenly over a cookie sheet and roast until they darken, about 10 minutes, rattling them around a bit halfway through to they toast evenly. (If you, like me, were unable to find raw peanuts, just toast them for a 5 minutes to deepen their flavor.)

Transfer the peanuts to a food processor and grind them for about 5 minutes. First they’ll become a paste and will cause any toddler in your midst to have a meltdown from the ruckus. Then they’ll become more of a paste and finally, they’ll liquefy. Scrape down the sides as needed.

Add the cocoa, sugar, salt and two tablespoons of the oil to the food processor and continue to process until well blended, about 1 minute. Add more salt if needed. Add the last tablespoon of oil if the consistency seems too thick.

Store in refrigerator up to a week in a covered container. When it is full chilled, like peanut butter, it will become thick and swipe with a teaspoon will leave a telltale impression. Look, I’m just warning you, okay?

Basic Raised Dough (Courtesy of Tartelette):

3 tablespoons (22grams) active dry yeast, divided
1 cup of whole milk, heated to 110ºF, divided
2 to 2 1/2 cups bread flour, divided
2 tablespoons (30 grams) superfine sugar *I used honey instead, it worked just as well*
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 egg yolks
½ stick (4 tablespoons / 2 oz) unsalted butter or vegetable shortening
vegetable oil for frying

In a medium bowl, dissolve 2 tablespoons of the yeast into ¾ cup of the milk. Add ¾ cup of flour and stir to create a smooth paste. Cover and let rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes.

Combine the remaining milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the rested flour mixture along with the sugar, salt, vanilla, and egg yolks. Mix until smooth. Turn off the mixer and add ½ cup of the remaining flour. Mix on low for about 30 seconds. Add the butter and mix until it becomes incorporated, about 30 seconds. Switch to a dough hook and add more flour, about ¼ cup at a time with the mixer turned off, kneading the dough at medium speed between additions, until the dough pulls completely away from the sides of the bowl and is smooth and not too sticky. It will be very soft and moist, but not so sticky that you can’t roll it out. You may have flour left over. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (and up to 12 hours).

Line a baking sheet with a lightly floured non-terry dish towel *I just used plain old parchment paper*. Roll out the dough on a slightly floured surface to ½ inch thick. With a doughnut or cookie cutter (can use a glass, too) cut out 3-inch-diameter rounds with 1-inch-diameter holes (for filled doughnuts, don’t cut out the holes).

Place the doughnuts on the baking sheet at least 1 inch apart and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm spot to proof until they almost double in size, 5 to 20 minutes, testing at five-minute intervals. To test whether the dough is ready, touch lightly with a fingertip. If it springs back immediately, it needs more time. If it springs back slowly, it is ready. If it does not spring back at all, it has overproofed; no worries- you can punch it down and re-roll it once.

While the doughnuts are proofing, heat a heavy-bottomed pot with at least 2 inches of oil until a thermometer registers 360F. With a metal spatula, carefully place the doughnuts in the oil. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on a wire rack over a paper towel, and let cool before glazing.

my lovely dough all ready to be molded...

spoon full plus extra of the peanutella...

place the smaller circle on top the larger with the filling, a little bit of milk and pinch...

voila! your doughnut, ready to be cut one last time...

PERFECT! now, let them rise one more time for 20 minutes in a warm place...

testing with some strawberry guava jelly!!

puffed and ready for their oil bath...

make sure your oil is the right temperature!! we don't want black balls!!

so golden^_^

after i took the temperature down they came out beautifully!! and i just had to dust them with some powdered sugar...

eat these hot! i love hot doughnuts!! they are so delicious and i melty...the way the peanutella and the soft dough mix...mmmm...completely swaying. i hope you enjoy these yummy treats for any day of the week!!^_^

The Head and the Heart - Down in the Valley

thanks tony, for bringing this group to my attention^_^ really wonderful song...

snow day=baking day

SNOW DAY!! when i was living in wisconsin i would love snow days. i think i actually prayed for one at one time. what can i say; school gets rough on high schoolers^_~ this past week that sense of excitement at the sight of snow hit again when our area was hit with a "mini" snow storm. in comparison to the storms in wisconsin this was nothing, we would get snow up to our knees! AND THEY STILL DO! that's why i refer to it as "mini", its a baby. but, everyone got out of school, semi's were seen on the news flipped over, car crashes etc...well, while all this was going on outside i was warm and cozy inside trying to figure out what i could bake to keep me from going crazy. 

i got my answer in dorrie greenspan's book...double chocolate mousse cake. YUMMMM! and since i always keep chocolate in my pantry, i didn't have to leave my house to buy ingredients! EVEN BETTER! as always i set to work with all the prep...

i used trader joe's dark chocolate bar, its so pretty next to my MAC knife^_^ the recipe didn't actually need that much chocolate, which i was surprised about since that is the main flavor. but, the amount called for most certainly lends itself to a huge amount of flavor. who am i to question the ever famous ms. greenspan?!

the lovely smooth mixture of chocolate, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, and butter.

now for the egg whites...the mousse is forming so well^_^

in her recipe dorrie has it in three types of ways: one, you bake a third of the mousse and chill it, then add the rest of the mousse on top and serve. two, you bake the crust, and then bake it again, serve warm. three: bake the crust, bake again and cool again. i chose option number three. only because she said she preferred it that way...she was right, it is the best way!!

my "crust"

my finished product. i threw some fresh whipped cream on top just because...well...i love the stuff! the top layer of the cake was so light and airy, a tad spongy, not in a gross way, but in a way that just made the cake so deliciously light it just seems to play on the top of your tongue. the chocolate flavor also came out so rich, it fit perfectly with the whipped cream. and the lower layer was just as flavorful, but more dense creating the perfect contrast in texture to the weightless top. perfect little dessert for my perfect snow day^_^

and this is my snowman i made between baking. he is super excited about baking snow days too^_^ happy baking^_^

my more recent endevours

 

just a few of the things i have made or eaten since my last post...i delved into making macaroons FINALLY. i had been wanting to make these for a while now, but i suppose i didn't feel like i had the skill just yet. they have always seemed so difficult and trust me they are! all the little tricks you have to do to make sure the consistency is just right, the tops are smooth, and the edges are not all flattened out...like the below picture...

not one of my brighter moments into the world of baking.  but everything is a learning process and i am a firm believer that if you care enough to try something again, you will. and i did, three more times. ugh, i felt like such a little failure. but luckily i asked a friend of mine for some advice about making these sweet treats. he led me to this site tartelette blog. this woman, helene, is AMAZING. her entire blog is so informative and i absolutely adore her photographs! i took her advice about the macaroons and SUCCESS!! and yes, i did a little dance when they finally came out the right way! so many thanks go out to tim for sending me this link and to helene for the great tutorial!

on to the next stop...i recently went back home to hawaii to visit some family and spend some time with my friends. one of the first food places, because there are MANY,on my list was Kamehameha Bakery for their delicously amazing scrumdidelyumptious TARO BALL! can you tell i was excited?! well, you would be too if you had one of these things! first off, its purple (my personal fave), and the inside is all warm and chewy, a slight doughy texture but nothing like uncooked dough. the outside has a slight crispness and with the added glaze it all just melts in your mouth into perfect divinity.  if you haven't tried one i would suggest getting one...or a dozen^_^

i know this is a biased statement but, my grandpa makes THE BEST BEEF STEW. seriously. the carrots and potato are perfectly tender and the beef falls apart in your mouth with every bite. and thankfully my grandpa makes it for me every time i visit. he also likes to include his broccoli and crab salad. so yummy...drooooool.

shokudo honey toast. that's all you really need to say. the toasted japanese bread squares topped with huge scoops of vanilla ice cream and drizzles of honey. mouth wateringly AMAZING.

i just love japanese candy. these are my faves i have yet to find in portland...i had to take advantage while in hawaii...

chocolate peanut butter swirl brownies. i really doubt there is any better combo than peanut butter and chocolate...or i have yet to find one...

these babies were...hard. the puff pastry didn't want to come out puffy enough for me. and i was honestly getting pretty exasperated. but, after taking a breather and going back to it, changing up the recipe a bit, i was blessed with these. golden and puffy shells for my vanilla pastry cream and chocolate ganache as a topper...perfect^_^

finally, cake test #3 i believe. thanks again martha for the banana fosters style cake with mascarpone frosting. i loved eating it!

ok, everyone officially caught up?^_^

Adele - Rolling In The Deep

i only recently realized i never post videos. which is odd because in the middle of my baking i like to listen to music, i think it gives me that smooth relaxed baking feeling...my own sort of "baking therapy". so i thought i would share one of my recent "baking therapy" themes. hope you enjoy^_^

I LOVE NUTELLA!!

thank you mr. pietro ferrero for one of the single best inventions EVER!! nutella. i did not know this but mr. ferrero developed this amazing spread during world war II, due to the lack of chocolate available. aren't bakers such smart people?! well anyways, since i have yet to get my pastry bags from portland to make my macaroons, i decided to make nutella scones. a recipe also found in my "baked" book. i chose it because...well because i love nutella. problem was i couldn't stop eating it while making these sinful scones.

here are the ingredients. and it was about this time i started sticking spoonfuls of nutella in my mouth^_^ 

NUTELLA SCONES
Yield: 6-8 scones

Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark sweetened cocoa powder (like Valrhona)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 large egg
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup toasted hazelnuts,coarsely chopped
1/2 cup Nutella

toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped...

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and place the rack in the center.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

• In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt until combined.

• Add the butter. Use your fingertips to rub it into the flour until the butter is pea size and the mixture is coarse. *i let the flour/butter mixture sit in the fridge overnight, so the butter would be VERY cold and so the dough would stick better, but if you are crunched for time you can leave the dry mixture in the fridge for a few hours after incorporating the butter, that should work just as well*

• In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and cream.  

hazelnuts, cream and egg mixture, and butter/flour/cocoa mixture...

• Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until the dough just comes together.  Gently and briefly knead the dough with your hands. *i had to add a little extra cream here, after i had added what the recipe called for the dough was still too dry, i added about 2-3 tablespoons extra, just till the dough stuck together*

• Add the toasted hazelnuts and knead gently to incorporate. 

• Flatten the dough into a rectangle approximately 6 by 12 inches. ( it doesn't need to precise) and spread 1/4 cup of the Nutella on top in a criss-cross pattern.  

doodoo log...haha just kidding. this is the dough after i had drizzled a layer of nutella on the inside and rolled it up. about to be cut and placed on the cookie sheet. 

• Roll the dough up to make a cylinder about 6 inches long, turn it on its end, and gently flatten it into a disk about 1 3/4 inches high. Do not overwork the dough.

• Cut the dough into 6 or 8 wedges and place them on the prepared baking sheet.

YUMM!!! can't wait to see them after they bake!

they came out really well. the one thing i have learned about scones is that you CAN'T over knead the dough. it is VERY important to incorporate the ingredients together only till they just mix in, after that STOP!! or the scones won't turn out all puffy and gorgeous! 

• Bake the scones for 18-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean.  Do not over bake.

• Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool completely.  Place the baking sheet with the parchment still on it underneath the rack.

• Heat the remaining 1/4 cup Nutella in a microwave until pourable, about 10 seconds on high.  Pierce the tops of the scones a few times with a fork.  Use a spoon ( or two spoons-one to scoop, one to scrape) to drip the warm Nutella in a zigzag pattern over the tops of the hot scones.  Transfer them to a refrigerator to set for 5 minutes, then serve immediately.

Most scones have a lifespan of 24hours or less; however, these scones taste pretty darn good on day two provided you wrap them tightly and store them at room temperature.

  

so the recipe calls for you to drizzle about 1/4 cup of nutella over the scones after they have finished baking...um how about upping that to 1/2 a cup^_^

the finished product! these came out too well for words to describe!! i think this is definitely great as a dessert or a brunch, or just because you love nutella like i do!!^_^ 

happy new year!!

a little treat for our neighbors: maple cinnamon rolls. thanks to the pioneer woman!!

happy new year everyone!! it has been a busy last couple of weeks, from family gatherings to potlucks at work, and trips up to seattle i have been in a tizzy! since i can't go through all the different things i have eaten and write a single blog for each, i decided to take my co-worker, steven's advice and compile a catch-up blog^_^ thanks again steven!

i went up to seattle a few weeks ago since i had a few days off. i wanted to check out the city, see the sights, check out UW since i plan on going there one day, and of course EAT! my friend took me to a great thai place called Thai Tom, in the U District. we both got the pad thai, but there was some confusion when ordering, we both didn't want it too spicy. somehow the waitress thought we said spice x3 and x4! we were both sweating bullets. my poor friend doesn't like things too spicy, but they were so busy we didn't have a choice!! needless to say we survived the flushed cheeks and burning mouths before we tapped out. funny thing, i would go back! but, next time i am going to make it VERY clear spice x2!!!

after touring the UW campus a bit, and checking out the amazingly beautiful library we headed to Molly Moon's. i had heard of this place the last time i was in town but the line was out the door, so you know it had to be good!! thankfully, when my friend and i arrived at molly moon's there were only a few groups of parents with their kids. he and i both wanted to try the salted caramel, which was completely melt in your mouth perfect! the savory and sweet mixed so well with the cream from the ice cream! it was heaven. BUT, then the girl suggested i get it with the theo chocolate (a chocolate shop also in seattle) and it was like a fiesta in my mouth! no joke! the chocolate complimented the salted caramel so well! it was like eating a salted caramel brownie in ICEREAM FORM!!^_^

after my "healthy" start in the U District, i met up with another friend of mine who took me to El Gaucho, which is one of the northwest's best steak restaurants. i could easily see why after we first received our sides. to the left is a lobster mashed potato, main lobster in a delightful cream sauce over garlicy mashed goodness. just thinking about these potatoes makes my mouth water all over again! to the right is the roasted sweet corn with chipotle honey butter a healthier way to go, but nothing to write home about. out of the two, i would take the potatoes in an instant, they were THAT GOOD! 

this is my french rib chop, 18 oz. of beef. topped with a portobello mushroom. yummm!

and we finished it all off with banana fosters, the man who made it said that he has made about 150,000 in his life time. that's a lot of bananas!

on my second trip out to seattle, i went with my parents to the Seattle Art Museum to see the picasso exhibit. it made me realize picasso was very prolific, but that his work was usually all over the place. i'd like to think when it comes to baking i am kinda like he is, just have to keep doing the things you love^_^ well back to this amazing sandwich...after viewing the exhibit i met up with some friends and we headed down to pike's market to grab some chowda' (that's what we kept calling it) but we also found an italian place that served this beauty. its an italian meatball AND italian sausage sub, so basically heaven on french bread! all the ooey gooey cheese atop all that marinara sauce and meat. omg, i seriously want another! luckily it was also right next to one of my other favorite places to eat...

pike place chowder, the ONLY chowder place to go! the seafood bisque is to die for!

one of many holiday goodies i whipped up. peppermint schnapps truffles with some candy cane bits on top for a little extra^_^

monkey bubble bread (from the baked book my friend gave me for christmas) on christmas morning, completely delic!!

my lovely christmas dinner^_^ it was a wonderful day, spent with family.

brioche in the morning. i received a great book from my aunt, uncle, and cousin. its dorrie greenspan's "around my french table" and it is absolutely wonderful. i took this little beauty of a recipe from it and it was wonderfully light and airy brioche. i paired it with some earth balance butter and a dab of strawberry guava jelly, it was simply perfect.

my cousin came into town and my uncle and i were showing her family around. i had heard of the tin shed cafe before, but every time i had passed by it was ALWAYS really crowded. this time wasn't any different either. even though it was the monday after christmas, the makeshift garden style cafe was still crowded. we huddled close to the outdoor heaters and waited patiently for our names to be called. my cousin had also looked up the cafe on yelp and this yummy treat came up: sweet potato french toast. sounds kinda strange right? well i had to try it. it was a little on the dry side, but the hints of sweet potato were definitely present. i think the next time i go i will have to try another option, maybe a scramble.

after we headed to powell's to check out the array of books. we followed it up with a trip to cupcake jones. my cousin's daughter and i shared a wonderful truffle kind of cupcake with chocolate ganache in the center. it was the perfect little snack^_^

later in the week i felt a little inspired by going to the cupcake shop. so i decided to try my hand at making the chantilly cake for my sister's wedding. OMG chantilly is HARD! i love baking, and making all sorts of different kinds of goodies, but my oh my, was chantilly a difficulty. sadly my first attempt failed, the frosting came out too soupy. the recipe was supposed to be similar to liliha bakery's chantilly atop their lovely  cocoa puffs. however, i must devise a plan to infiltrate the bakery and learn the secret method they use to make such a wonderful version of chantilly! anyhoo, i decided to go to "martha" and seek a little frosting guidance. i landed on her mocha butter cream, which is PERFECT with her recipe of chocolate cake! so this is the result, a mocha butter cream chocolate cake.

after the first attempt at chantilly i decided to go to the america's test kitchen cookbook (also a christmas present, i received 4 baking books for christmas!!) to look up their german chocolate cake frosting, which is basically chantilly with pecans and coconut. this time around it worked! the flavor is still a little off, but i will keep working on that! seeing as i already made the cake i made little german chocolate cake cupcakes. my workers loved them!

one of my new year's resolutions is to keep blogging a little more consistently. so i will do my best (schedule permitting) to keep putting some delectable recipes up!!^_^ i hope everyone's holiday was filled with family, friends, and food!