Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Donut Holes
























In early April I went to the VIP Grand Opening for the TopGolf in Houston, Texas. They had food set-up throughout the entire event. While guests were golfing in the bays, the servers were bringing over hot out of the fryer donut holes. Their donut hole belief: “Imagine if your own donut creation. You play chef by injecting 24 cinnamon dusted donuts with your choice of 2 fillings including chocolate, raspberry jelly, or Bavarian Cream. Because you’re never too old to play with your food.” When the donuts arrived and the stand had syringes filled with the fillings, we were all intrigued. You literally pick up a donut hole, grab a syringe and inject one of the sauces into the center of the hot donut. Popping it into your mouth, your eyes will definitely roll into the back of your head. I asked very close nurse friend if she had access to these syringes and within a few days I had 4 brand new syringes to use at home. Just over the 3-day weekend I whipped out my grandma’s cast iron skillet, filled it with oil, snapped on the thermometer and started making donuts from scratch. I used 4 sauces including hot fudge, caramel, raspberry sauce, and cream cheese frosting. James and our friend Jeff said these donuts should be illegal. They had the best time. Perfect idea for parties and they do taste very good even the next day.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup milk or Lactaid milk

2 TBSP. melted butter

Frying the donuts = use roughly 2-3 cups of vegetable oil

Toppings:
Optional: 1/2 cup sugar + 2 TBSP. cinnamon combined
Optional: 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Fillings: links and recipes below

Caramel, Hot Fudge, Raspberry Sauce, Vanilla or Cream Cheese Frosting

Make all your fillings from scratch one day in advance or you can buy store bought fillings such as Smucker’s Hot Fudge, etc.

Directions for donuts:

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Add in milk, egg, and melted butter, and mix until well combined with a hand mixer or stand mixer.

Fill a large cast iron skillet or medium pot with vegetable oil, about 2 inches deep. Using a fry thermometer, heat oil to about 375 degrees F. Make sure it stays around that temperature each time you fry the dough.

Place cinnamon-sugar (mixed together) and confectioners’ sugar toppings in two separate small bowls. Set out several stacked paper towels next to the stove for drying the doughnut holes, along with a cooling rack with parchment paper underneath.

When oil is ready, place about 5-6 teaspoonful’s of dough at a time in the oil and fry on each side for about 1 minute (2 minutes total). Remove from the oil and place on paper towel to soak up excess oil. Then, using a fork or your fingers, roll doughnut in either the confectioners’ sugar or cinnamon-sugar mixture. Then place on cooling rack to cool slightly before serving warm.

Fill up your syringes and have them lying next to the hot donut holes for your guests to start having some fun! Inject each donut and try all the different fillings. The guys were injecting two fillings into some donuts.

DIRECTION FOR FILLINGS:

Raspberry Sauce Ingredients:

6 oz. container of fresh raspberries

2 TBSP. sugar

1 TBSP. Orange juice

1 TBSP. cornstarch

1/2 cup cold water

Directions for Raspberry Sauce:

Combine the raspberries, sugar, and orange juice in a saucepan. Whisk the cornstarch into the cold water until smooth. Add the mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil.
Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the desired consistency is reached. The sauce will thicken further as it cools.
Puree the sauce in a blender or with a handheld immersion blender and strain it through a fine sieve. You don’t need to strain if you don’t want to. Serve warm or cold. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Hot Fudge Ingredients:

4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate

1 cup white sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

1 TBSP. butter

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions for Hot Fudge:

Place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat on high for 1 minute and stirring frequently adding additional 30 seconds until mostly melted.

Transfer chocolate to a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook on low stirring in the sugar, salt, and butter until melted. Stir in the cream a little at a time until smooth.

Heat through, without boiling, then remove from heat and stir in the vanilla lastly.

Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Ingredients for Salted Caramel Sauce:

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

3/4 cup heavy cream

3 1/2 TBSP. unsalted butter

1 tsp. kosher salt or fleur de sel sea salt

Directions for Caramel Sauce:

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and bring to a boil, without stirring. If necessary, use a wet pastry brush to wash down any crystals on the side of the pan. Boil until the syrup is a deep amber color, about 5 to 6 minutes. 

Remove the sugar from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream. The mixture will bubble. Stir in the unsalted butter, and salt. Transfer the caramel to a dish and cool. 

The salted caramel sauce will keep in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Reheat before serving. 

Alternative uses for Caramel Sauce: 
Salted Caramel Dip with Harvest Apples: Package the sauce with seasonal apples for making caramel apples or simply dip the apple slices into the caramel sauce. 


Ingredients for Vanilla Filling:

1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon milk

Directions for Vanilla Filling:

Cream butter and shortening, gradually add sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Add milk and vanilla, beat until light and fluffy. Will keep for 2 weeks in airtight, refrigerated container.

*You can also use homemade cream cheese frosting or store bought frosting

TopGolf:

TopGolf is a great place to gather with friends for a round of golf with your own private bay. Amazing food, cocktail list, and ambiance. Check out the locations near you and their menu.



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