Happy Halloween! I give you DOUGHNUTS!!

For Halloween, I am sharing with you my very own recipe for Apple Cider Yeast Doughnuts. I used Thomas Keller's recipe from The French Laundry Cookbook as my 'jumping off' point but adapted it quite liberally, so it is definitely very, very different from the original (which I'm sure is wonderful in its own right).

Now, first off, I may as well tell you that these doughnuts, if made along the lines of Keller's process, are a real, well, process. I chose to think of it as a real labour of love. In the future, I plan to try making them again and try to figure out a good way to make them with a faster method, but I like to think that the longer method helped the flavors in this really meld and concentrate.

I almost hate to admit this, but I haven't ever had an Apple Cider Doughnut. Until a couple of weeks ago I didn't even know that we had any cider mills here in Utah. I did find one though and bought two half gallons of their extremely delicious and incredible cider and while we drank the pasturized one, I had great things in mind for the 'raw' half gallon. Anyway, when Mark (aka Manggy) entered this incredible dessert offering in the Art You Eat - Autumn! Event I was obsessed all over again with the idea of apple and doughnuts.

See, here's the thing. Someone says 'cider doughnuts' and I'm just filled with a severe craving... but, for what? I don't know what they are like. Sure, I've seen some other recipes around, but I haven't had them myself. Until I started doing some more research recently I didn't even know what kind of doughnuts they were.

So... now that you know that I really don't know anything at all about cider doughnuts, if this is sacred ground I am about to stomp all over, I hope you will keep in mind that this is just one girl's opinion and should be treated as such. Don't go getting all up-in-arms at me for not knowing. I am just coming in with my own craving and seeing if I can make something to satisfy it.

So. Did I? Satisfy that craving I mean? Well. Oh YES. The research I found looked like most cider doughnuts are fried cake doughnuts - which isn't that appealing to me, but I tried anyway. So, for research purposes I used this recipe and while they were very good, they weren't even close to what I wanted. This photo is proof that I made the original, without any fiddling before stomping on that sacred ground and tradition of cider mills. I did give it a chance.

The problem was that when I thought of cider doughnuts I envisioned light, but not too airy, tall yeast doughnuts, flavored liberally with spices and tasting of apple cider and having a sticky apple cider fragrant glaze and sugary crumbs. I basically wanted to smell and taste the cider and spices in a yeast raised doughnut.

So, since I didn't find that anywhere else (but if you know of another recipe - please share!) and set out to create something to fill that void for me.

These were insanely good. I couldn't stop eating them. They were tall, with great spice and flavor, a hint of apple, but the taste of sweet candy apple on the outside. These are not diet doughnuts. These are not baked. They don't apologize for being anything but what they are - really, really good and probably getting as far from being good for you as an apple can get.

So, that is why I am introducing my Apple Cider Yeast Doughnuts to you on Halloween. That traditional day of all things sugary. Think of all the trick or treating you miss out on now as an adult - how nice would it be to show up at your family's house and be handed some fresh, hot apple cider and a nice warm, sticky doughnut while watching all the kids in their costumes.

Doughnuts are always very kid friendly in our house, so here is proof that the kiddo at my house still loves doughnuts on a Kid-Friendly Friday - and hey, there is apple involved... oh, don't look at me like that!

Since these lovely doughnuts are absolutely beautiful in my opinion, well, they are my entry into my own Art You Eat - Autumn Event. You still have until next week - November 5th - to enter your Autumn entry. It can be something you make especially for the event, or something you have already posted. You can enter as many times as you want. Read here to find out all the details!

Apple Cider Yeast Doughnuts

Day 1:
- Reduce the cider, cool to room temperature
- Using the cider, start the sponge, allow to rest
- Combine the starter and make the dough, refrigerate overnight

Day 2:
- Remove from the refrigerator, allow to rest
- Roll, cut and proof doughnuts
- Fry the doughnuts, glaze or dip in cinnamon-sugar, or do both!
- Eat, enjoy and repeat

The Starter:
1 1/2 cups fresh apple cider, reduced to 2/3 cup by bringing to a boil and then simmering for about 30 minutes over medium-low heat
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 cup all-purpose flour

The Dough:
1 Tablespoon instant yeast
4 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour, more as needed
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
4 large egg yolks
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Canola oil for deep-frying

Cinnamon Sugar Mixture:
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine in a small bowl and mix together well.

Apple Cider Glaze:
1/2 cup fresh apple cider
3 cups confectioners' sugar

Whisk together in a small saucepan and bring to a low boil. Whisk well, and simmer for 5 minutes or until golden, clear, thick and syrupy. Remove from heat and pour into a shallow dish to allow to cool slightly before dipping the doughnuts.

For the Doughnuts:
Place the reduced cider at room temperature in the bowl of a mixer. Sprinkle the yeast into the cider and whisk to dissolve. Add the flour to the bowl and, using the dough hook, mix slowly until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Transfer this sponge to a bowl, cover, and let rest and proof at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, until it has doubled. (You could also place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight at this point if you want.)

Part 2: Combine the yeast into the milk in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve. Place 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the sugar, the spices and the salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mixing on low speed, pour in the milk and yeast mixture, followed by the egg yolks and butter. Mix for a minute to combine.

Add the proofed sponge and the remaining flour. Continue to beat at low speed until combined. Turn up the speed slightly and knead the dough for 4 to 5 minutes, or until it has formed a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl. If the dough seems wet, it may be necessary to add 1 to 2 more tablespoons flour. Cover the bowl and let the dough proof overnight in the refrigerator.

To shape the doughnuts:
Place the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cut out the doughnuts and place them and the doughnut holes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover the doughnuts with a sheet of plastic wrap that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.

At this point, the doughnuts can be frozen for several days, refrigerated, or allowed to rise at room temperature. If they're frozen, defrost them and then allow them to rise at room temperature for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. They can be refrigerated for several hours or overnight, to rise slowly. When you remove them from the refrigerator, uncover them and let them finish proofing in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes. If they have not been refrigerated or frozen, they should rise at room temperature in about 15 minutes. Once proofed, they will have risen to approximately 1 inch.

To cook the doughnuts:
In a deep heavy large saucepan, heat canola oil for deep-frying to 325 degrees F. Add a couple of the doughnuts and holes to the oil - don't crowd them in - and cook for approximately 30 seconds on the first side. Flip the doughnuts and fry for 1 minute on the second side, then turn back to the first side to cook for an additional 30 seconds, or until a deep golden brown. Remove the doughnuts, drain them briefly on paper towels, and toss them in a bowl with the cinnamon sugar. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts.

Dip the doughnuts while still warm directly in your choice of the glaze, the cinnamon-sugar, or both and place on a cooling rack to set for a minute. Serve while still warm.

AYE: Go Local! Blackberry Peach Clafoutis

Yes, I know, another clafoutis. It is becoming a bit of a new obsession around our house. What can I say? Is it because it is A) Delicious, B) Easy, C) Versatile, D) All of the Above. Yup, you guessed it. The answer is "D" - all of the above. Seriously, what's not to love. You can put just about anything in it you want, be traditional, or not. I think that next I want to try a savory version, but I promise that in the future, I will group any more clafoutis posts together before this becomes the All Clafoutis, All the Time Blog!

So, the reason I'm posting this one so quickly on the tail end of my previous posts is two-fold. One, is that if you haven't gone and drooled over the incredible round-up of clafoutis on Bron's site right now for the Hay Hay It's Donna Day - #19 Clafoutis Edition, then you need to. You can look through all the amazing entries from many lovely bloggers and even email a vote for your favorite to Bron before May 9th. If, by chance, you aren't familiar with this wonderful event - well, then you should be! This event was created by the so lovely Barbara of winosandfoodies. It was the first food blogging event I participated in and it has been such fun to participate every month.

As I mentioned, Bron Marshall was the host (again) for this last round and now, in case you didn't hear, Bron is adopting the HHDD Event in the future as requested by Barbara. You can read more about that here and here.

The second reason you are getting another one is that because Mrs. W and I hosted the Art You Eat #3 Event this past month with a theme of Go Local! to help celebrate Earth Day. We chose to concentrate on not only sustainability, but the use of local produce and other products. The point was to become more aware of where our food comes from and to try to focus on "local" (within 7 to 8 hours away) products.

For me, that ended up being Tuesday morning's breakfast of a Blackberry Peach Clafoutis. The blackberries are leftovers frozen from last summer's farmers markets and the peaches come from local growers nearby as well. I bottled the peaches last summer when and the eggs and flour both came from a local farm and mill, respectively. The milk and butter also come from a local dairy. I also used dark brown sugar, which of course, is not local, but the point is to use as much local as possible. So, while my ingredients were not "fresh" I wanted to go that route to show that you can preserve items that you use yourself and control what goes into it and have local accessibility more.

For anyone in the Salt Lake City area, just an FYI that the Live Green - Downtown Sustainability Festival is coming up next Saturday (May 10th). It looks like it should be interesting, educational and fun.

So, on to the recipe. Make sure you check out the Art You Eat blog for the round-up of this event and vote for your favorite.

Blackberry Peach Clafoutis
1 cup blackberries (fresh or if using frozen, do not thaw)
1/2 cup canned peaches (or fresh) cut into small bite size pieces
1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons sugar
300 ml whole milk
3 large eggs
pinch of salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons butter

Preheat two 6-inch cast iron skillets in a 375 degree F oven on a baking sheet. In the meantime, whisk together the dark brown sugar, milk, eggs, and pinch of salt together in a pourable bowl or pitcher. When they are well combined and the sugar is fairly dissolved whisk in the flour.

Remove the skillets from the oven and melt 1 Tablespoon each of butter in the hot pans. Once the butter has melted, distribute the blackberries and peaches evenly between the two pans. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of sugar in each pan over the fruit. Pour equal amounts of batter into each pan over the fruit.

Place the pans on their baking sheet back into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until puffed and golden. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before serving (can also be served at room temperature).

Enjoy!

Another Shameless Plug! Art You Eat Event - Eggs & Egg Shapes

OK, Easter weekend is here. That means that if you are doing something with eggs, or making something shaped like an egg, now is the time to create it, blog it, post it and email it to me at:

artyoueat AT gmail DOT com for the Art You Eat Event.

Remember, the deadline was extended to the 25th, so that gives everyone time to chime in with your fabulous eggy creations!

For more info on the event go to the Art You Can Eat site.

Thanks!

Art You Eat Event Deadline Extended!

Hi all! Just a quick post to let you know that the deadline for Art You Eat #2 - Eggs & Egg Shapes is being extended to March 25th.

We thought that would make it easier for those of you waiting to make your goodies until Easter.
So, get creative and send in those entries! Remember, it can be something with an egg shape or eggs as the main ingredient.

Just email your entry to me by the 25th of March at:

artyoueat AT gmail DOT com

Send in the email with:

• Your name
• Blog Name
• Post Title
• Post URL
• Blog URL
• Small picture (250 x 250 pixels)
  

Thanks!

Sweet Success - My First Event Hosting - Art You Eat #1 - Chocolate

So almost a month ago, really late one night, or morning, or whatever it was, while I was sitting up with the baby, I was thinking about chocolate and all the cool things I've seen others do with it. I first tried to do something with chocolate a few months ago (actually right before the baby was born) for a wedding cake for some friends. The attempts turned out fairly well and I was left with the hankering to do more. Thus was born the idea for "Art You Eat." This would be an event that combined making great edible creations that were also artfully done.

Now, here we are and it is time for the Art You Eat #1 - Chocolate Round-Up. I decided, because I wanted this event to continue and grow, that the round-up's would actually be archived on a separate site so please be sure to check the round-up out.

For my own contribution to this, funny enough, I procrastinated. I couldn't decide what I wanted to try to do. I did know that I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone and try something else. The results are what you see here.

I've actually never made truffles before. I've always intended to, but then I always end up using the chocolate to make brownies or cookies or something and never seem to get around to it. I have to say that after this little experiment I will definately make more truffles. I got more chocolate satisfaction fix out of eating less than with the other options. I'm not saying I'll stop eating cookies and brownies, but at least maybe this will help me keep under control a little better.

Anyway, I also wanted a pretty way to present the truffles. The other night while I was watching Food Network there was a Chocolate Throw-Down with Bobby Flay. I watched while Bobby piped different colored chocolate over parchment over a picture of an Aztec God and then covered the picture in melted white chocolate to "set" the picture into a tile. I thought, now that is cool.

Here's the thing. I don't have a steady hand. I don't have a working printer. I don't have any cool picture books lying around. So. Hmmm. Now what? What I did have was the will to try, a huge bag of white chocolate and some red gel food coloring left over from a Transformers cake I had to make for Aidan's 4th birthday. OK.

So, what you see here is my somewhat pathetic attempt that I think still looks cute. Not spectacular like I wanted it to in my head, but cute nonetheless. Oh, and did I mention that while I was trying to make all of this I had a 13 lb baby sleeping in a sling on the front of me. In other words, close work wasn't really an option. You'll have to stay tuned, because once I get some free time and some pictures, I am still going to play around with this idea because it was still fun. Anyway, on to the directions and pictures.

Chocolate Truffles on a White Chocolate Plate
(Makes 15 1-inch truffles)

8 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate
1/2 C whipping cream
1 T butter
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Place the chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan until a rolling boil just starts. Pour over the chocolate and let it sit for a few minutes to melt the chocolate. Stir together with a whisk until all combined. Add the vanilla and stir in.

Prepare a shallow bowl or baking dish with parchment lining. Pour the chocolate mixture into the pan. Allow to rest, uncovered in a cool place (not refridgerator) until set, up to 24-hours.

Lift the parchment with the chocolate from the pan and pull off pieces the size you want to make the truffles (I made about 1-inch sized balls). Have little bowls with whatever you want to roll the truffles in ready (I just used dutch process cocoa powder this time, but I think nuts, coconut, powdered sugar, raw sugar, cookie crumbs, pralines, etc. would be good - seriously, it is chocolate and cream. What wouldn't be good?!)

Prepare all of the chocolate balls and roll them in the toppings. Place them on parchment paper or your serving dish. Store the truffles in the refridgerator between layers of parchment paper.

To make the chocolate plate I simply melted about 16 oz of white chocolate. I took a little bit of the white chocolate while it was still hot and transfered it to another bowl and added gel food coloring to the color I wanted, in this case a mauvey-pink.

Put this into a small round tipped piping bag and pipe the desired shape onto a piece of parchment.

I used a 9-inch tart pan lined with parchment for my model and free-handed some little starburst designs onto the paper. I also sprinkled some pink and red sanding sugar over the paper, just for fun.

Allow this to set for about 5 minutes. then pour the rest of the white chocolate over the design. Spread it out to cover if needed. Set aside and allow to set uncovered. When ready to use you can lift the tart bottom out of the pan, slide the parchment off and gently remove the parchment from the chocolate. Try not to handle the design and sides too much (especially if your hands are hot!).

That's it. Please don't be fooled by my sad little attempt. I wish I could find a picture of Bobby's tile so you could see how cool something like this could be. Since I can't, I will just keep trying. Maybe this will resurface in the future, in a better incarnation.

Thanks again to all the participants in this first challenge. Remember to go to the Round-Up and vote for your favorite out of the top three. The voting will go through the 16th and will decide the winner who will "host" the next event and decide on the theme.

A New Year and A New Event - Art You Eat Launch!

Art You Eat #1 - Chocolate

Event Date: January 17, 2008 5:00 pm MST to February 5, 2008 5:00 pm MST

DEADLINE EXTENDED to FEBRUARY 11, 2008!

As this new year gets rolling I thought it would be fun to start a new event to help us all enjoy the beauty as well as the tastes and textures of different foods. Join in the fun and let's make 2008 the most beautiful and brilliant year yet!

The Idea: We all want our creations to look as wonderful as they taste and there are tons of absolutely gorgeous examples out there of the amazing creations that all you beautiful bloggers create. Why not hold an event that shares the decorating and presentation tips as well as the food? After all, if someone is going to try to recreate your masterpiece, shouldn't it look spectacular too?

Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus defines artistry as a noun that means "creativity". What I really love are the synonyms though: ability, accomplishment, art, brilliance, craftsmanship, creativity, finesse, flair, genius, mastery, proficiency, style, talent, taste, touch, virtuosity, workmanship. (Source: Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1) Copyright © 2008 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.)

That is exactly what I want to see from you all!

The Plan: Each month we will hold an event that will focus on a different kind of decorating theme, medium, idea, holiday, etc. That way we can all go for variations on a similar theme for that month and end up with lots of ideas to choose from! It should be fun to see all the variations we come up with.

You can post something you love that you created before, as long as you repost with instructions on how you made it look beautiful. Ideas should range from the sublimely simple to the extravagent. I've created a new blog where the winning ideas will be archived, as well as links to all posts each month.

The Rules:

For this first round I will host the event and choose my three favorites according to to originality/creativity (the "wow" factor) as well as the ease of understanding the instructions on how to recreate (including the recipe for the dish). Though the entires won't all be recreated, if we can't understand the instructions, then that won't help anyone. I am hoping for entries from around the world, but please post in English. That will be taken into consideration when judging, especially if English isn't your first language!

Entry posts must site any sources, special equipment, techniques, supplies, and recipes that were used. Because writing the how to could take some time, entries can be something you have posted before as long as you repost with instructions on how you made it look that way. Pictures throughout the process are helpful, but there must at least be a photo of the finished product. Want to submit video of the process? Great!

The only requirement is that the "theme" be followed. How it is followed is up to you. It can be an ingredient, plating, decoration, whatever - as long as you use it.

Once the favorites are chosen, I will post a poll on the "Art You Eat" site. Voting will last for 3 days after the roundup is posted (in this case since all entries must be submitted and posted by Feb 5th. I will create the roundup and the poll, and barring any disasters, polling will start a couple of days later. The voting end date will be on the site with the 3 finalists.

Whichever entry wins gets to "host" the next event - in this case, that means they get to choose the theme (ingredient, holiday, or technique to be featured) and join me in choosing the finalists to place in the poll. I will post the roundup on the "Art You Eat" site with a special message on the theme from the "host" and featuring their entry for the theme. This may be a little different than normal, but this way all of these great ideas and their links end up being in one place and linked to your site. That way we all have easy access to links for great ideas on how to make all our culinary creations look spectacular.

So... ON TO THE EVENT!! Since Valentine's Day is almost here - and because it is what it is - I am choosing CHOCOLATE to kick this off with. This means chocolate in any type, but not cocoa. I want to see what you can do with the stuff you melt, or chop, or curl, or mould, or whatever! You can use cocoa too if you want, but there must still be chocolate involved (and this can include white chocolate... even if it isn't really chocolate)! Only one entry per person please. If you don't have a blog, just email me the information and it will still be included in the roundup.

Please make sure that you include the subject/tag "Art You Eat #1 - Chocolate" into your post and a link to the site: http://www.artyoueat.squarespace.com/ (I am working on moving this site to blogger instead - just FYI).

Here are the details for the entry. Please join me in this! I think it could be great, and I hope I'm not alone in wanting to know how you wonderful bloggers make things look so phenomenal!

SEND ALL ENTRIES TO:

artyoueat AT gmail DOT com

INCLUDE (please cut and paste into your email):

NAME:

BLOG NAME:

BLOG URL:

POST URL:

POST TITLE:

CREATION TITLE & DESCRIPTION (as in name what you did or made- i.e., curling chocolate):

Attach your favorite photo to be used in the roundup and let us know if there is video available at your site (for bloggers - emailers can email video directly to be posted on the site).

IF YOU WIN, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE THE THEME TO BE (and it doesn't have to be something you are great at! In fact, it should be something you want to really know more about!)


I hope you will come to my party and make some art we can all eat!

Holly