Donuts with filling

Doughnuts, dough nuts, donuts.. whichever spelling you choose doesn't change the fact that they're delicious!

I grew up having many donut options to eat seeing as how my uncle was a long time baker at several cafés. He would visit us often, and bring all kinds of my favourite goodies from double chocolate to éclairs to croissants. The filled donuts were always the most exciting. Was it going to be the apple cinnamon dusted with brown sugar or the blueberry jelly with powdered sugar? Whatever it was, I scarfed it down.

I've been craving donuts these days, so I decided I wanted to try making my own at home. I could fill them with anything I wanted, from vanilla cream to nutella to peanut butter and jelly. The recipe I am sharing today delivers the most tasty bite of donut heaven.. especially when it's hot out of the oil! If you've always wanted to try making these suckers at home, give this a try!

Ingredients
Dough
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp dry active yeast
2/3 cup milk (room temperature)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
3 eggs
*if using unsalted butter, add 1 tsp salt

Filling
2 cups Nutella

Coating
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

You will also need 3.5 litres of canola or vegetable oil for frying

Method
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, stir together yeast and milk then let stand until yeast is dissolved. Add flour, sugar, salt and eggs and mix on low speed for about 2 minutes until the dough comes together. Add the butter a couple of pieces at a time, mixing after each addition and until butter is fully incorporated and dough is soft. Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 6 hours - overnight recommended.

When you're ready to make the donuts, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Place the refrigerated dough on a floured work surface and roll into a 12 inch square about 1/2 inch thick. Cut the dough into 12 donuts using a 3 inch round cutter (you can also use a smaller or bigger cutter, but need to adjust your frying time). Transfer the donuts to the prepared baking sheet, cover with a piece of plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cooking spray, and place in a warm spot until they've doubled in height and feel poofy, usually about 3 hours.

When you're ready to fry, fill a large pot with 4 inches of oil and place over high heat for several minutes, then lower to medium (ideal temp for oil is 350F). While the oil heats, line a baking sheet with paper towels for draining the donuts. Place the sugar for the coating in a small bowl and set aside.

Fry 2 -3 donuts at a time, and fry until golden brown on the underside -  2 to 3 minutes. Carefully turn the donuts over and fry for an additional 2 minutes, or until the other side is golden brown as well. Using a strainer, remove the donuts and move to the paper towel lined baking sheet.
As soon as the donuts are cool enough to handle, toss them in the sugar one at a time to coat them. Allow to cool completely - 30 to 40 minutes.

Add 2 cups Nutella to pastry bag fitted with a small round tip. Poke a hole in the side of each donut and fill with Nutella. The donuts taste best when enjoyed within 24 hours.

Enjoy!

Cauliflower Mutabal

When people think of Mutabal or Baba Ganouj, an eggplant dip generally comes to mind. These dips have become very popular in the western world showing up at parties and on the plates of healthy vegetarians, right next to the hummus!

Cauliflower mutabal however hasn't made much of a splash as it's eggplant friend, but it's still an extremely popular dip/spread enjoyed by many in the Arab world. It's prepared almost much of the same way, but has a different taste and texture altogether. Give it a try if you're a cauliflower lover, like myself.

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower
5 tbsp tahini paste
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp salt
Juice of 1 lemon
Enough vegetable oil to fry cauliflower

Garnish
Parsley, chili sauce, cumin, evoo, fried cauliflower florets

Method

Cut the cauliflower into pieces and give them a good wash. Make sure they are dry before you begin deep frying in the vegetable oil. Fry the florets until they are a golden brown colour, and move them to sit on paper towels to have some of the oil drain off. After a few minutes -while still hot, use a potato masher to mash the florets in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix the lemon juice, tahini, salt, garlic and evoo until thick and creamy. Add to the mashed cauliflower and mix for a minute with a spoon until well combined. I do not recommend adding all ingredients in a processor as you would baba ganouj, as it will make the consistency too smooth, and that's not what you're looking for with this type of mutabal.

I usually garnish with evoo and chili paste. This can be served hot or cold, but I prefer cold myself. I usually smear a spoon or 2 ...or 5 on my morning pita :)

Enjoy!