Apparently fried dough is the element that binds all of humanity together. I will, without fact-checking, state that every civilization has such an item as a cornerstone of their culinary repertoire. Donut diplomacy, while not perfect, has done a lot to break down walls of contention between adversariesand litigants. What disagreement is sosevere that a beignet can’t fix it? Do not dismiss them as rudimentary; those things are grand vessels of our favorite things: sugar and fat, and can bring together hearts otherwise many time zones away.
Chicago donut shops have perhaps the quickest draw for me. This makes sense - beyond being awesome, they are quick and relatively inexpensive. The Vault, Stan’s, Firecakes, Beacon - where else can I get such instant pleasure? No really, where else?
In telling my daughter about my discovery of Beacon - walking around Lincoln Park and seeing a sandwich board reading ‘Donuts in Alley’ - she said, “Dad, you’d be so easy to kidnap.”
But sometime sugar is not my favorite thing, or at least my limit comes quickly. Often towards the end of an old-fashioned donut, my mouth gets all waawaawaa with sweet overload. Which makes the second and third of those guys just shockingly weak willpower. Why can’t we dial down the sugar and make savory donuts? Do we have to call them something else? Would calling them fried dumplings hold everyone’s attention in the same way? I believe not. The allure of the word donut is the apex of our endorphin release, along with sex and sale. Let’s stick with it and roll.
I made a couple of variations on the theme of savory donut. I used the cruller for the variety as it’s relatively easy to put together and the dough already has very little sugar in it. Its base is the workhorse pate a choux, an oddity of the baking world that leads to many great pastries: profiteroles, churros, eclairs, Parisian gnocchi…. I created a wish list of flavors (next time bacon cheddar, the time after that time shrimp escabeche). I landed on two vegetarian options: coconut yellow curry and garlic saffron with whipped feta icing. Also, to monitor my fryer temperature I used the Norpro digital thermometer I bought my wife for a gift (from The Chopping Block, of course). Boy was that a game-changer. Strongly advise this for frying or candy-making.
Coconut Yellow Thai Curry Cruller
Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe
Yields: 18 donuts
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
3 Tablespoons yellow curry paste
5.5 oz whole milk
5.5 oz water
1.5 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoon sugar
4 oz coconut oil
6 oz all-purpose flour
5 large eggs, room temperature
1 lime’s zest
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
Vegetable oil for frying (approximately one quart, depending on the size of your pan)
In a medium-sized pot, heat the oil and curry paste and sauté gently for 2 minutes.
Add the milk, water, salt, sugar and coconut oil and bring to a boil.
Dump in the flour and beat vigorously with a wood spoon, 1-2 minutes, until there is a skid of dried flour at the bottom of the pot.
In a stand mixer or with a hand beater or by hand if need be, beat in eggs, one at a time. Inspect after the fourth: there is enough egg in the mixture if lifting a beater from the batter mass creates a slight “soft-serve droop.”
Fold in the zest and soy. Allow batter to cool.
Fit a pastry bag with a medium-sized star tip. Fill bag. Draw circles on parchment paper as a guide. Flip paper upside down so marker is on the underside of paper.
Fill the bag halfway with batter. Pipe circles. Cut parchment to separate each donut individually.
Heat fryer oil to 370 degrees. Place batter circles, paper and all, in oil, paper-side up. Fry enough donuts to cover oil single layer. Remove paper when it separates from batter.
Flip donut when the underside is lightly browned, 1-2 minutes.
Remove from oil to a cooling rack. Spritz with lime juice.
Saffron Crullers
Yields: 18 donuts
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
2 Tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
1 teaspoons saffron
1 Tablespoon sherry
5.5 oz whole milk
5.5 oz water
1 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoon sugar
5 oz butter
6 oz all-purpose flour
5 large eggs
4 ounces feta cheese
1 ounce milk
In a medium-sized pan, heat the oil with the paste, garlic, paprika and saffron for one minute.
‘Deglaze’ with the sherry.
Add milk, water, salt, sugar and butter. Heat to a boil.
Dump in the flour and beat vigorously with a wood spoon, 1-2 minutes, until there is a skid of dried flour at the bottom of the pot.
In a stand mixer or with a hand beater or by hand if need be, beat in eggs, one at a time. Inspect after the fourth: there is enough egg in the mixture if lifting a beater from the batter mass creates a slight “soft-serve droop”. Allow to cool.
Rinse feta briefly with water to dispel excess salty brine, drain. With a mixer or a wood spoon, beat milk into cheese to make a ‘glaze’ consistency.
Fit a pastry bag with a medium-sized star tip. Fill bag. Draw circles on parchment paper as a guide. Flip paper upside down so marker is on the underside of paper.
Fill the bag halfway with batter. Pipe circles. Cut parchment to separate each donut individually.
Heat fryer oil to 370 degrees. Place batter circles, paper and all, in oil, paper-side up. Fry enough donuts to cover oil single layer. Remove paper when it separates from batter.
Flip donut when the underside is lightly browned, 1-2 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack.
Spoon the feta glaze over the tops.
If you want tips and tricks for making sweet donuts, don't miss our Donut Boot Camp on Saturday, June 3 at 10am at Lincoln Square. You'll make a fun and delicious menu of fried dough with seasonal fillings and glazes:
Strawberry Shortcake Cruller Filled with Whipped Cream and Fresh Strawberries
Cherry Limeade Donuts (Lime Cake Donuts with Cherry Glaze)
Banana Pudding Donuts (Roasted Banana Custard-Filled Yeast Donuts with Vanilla Glaze and 'Nilla Wafers)
S'mores Donuts (Marshmallow Cream-Filled Yeast Donuts with Chocolate Ganache and Graham Cracker Crumble)
Vegetable oil for frying (approximately one quart, depending on the size of your pan)
Instructions
In a medium-sized pot, heat the oil and curry paste and sauté gently for 2 minutes.
Add the milk, water, salt, sugar and coconut oil and bring to a boil.
Dump in the flour and beat vigorously with a wood spoon, 1-2 minutes, until there is a skid of dried flour at the bottom of the pot.
In a stand mixer or with a hand beater or by hand if need be, beat in eggs, one at a time. Inspect after the fourth: there is enough egg in the mixture if lifting a beater from the batter mass creates a slight “soft-serve droop.”
Fold in the zest and soy. Allow batter to cool.
Fit a pastry bag with a medium-sized star tip. Fill bag. Draw circles on parchment paper as a guide. Flip paper upside down so marker is on the underside of paper.
Fill the bag halfway with batter. Pipe circles. Cut parchment to separate each donut individually.
Heat fryer oil to 370 degrees. Place batter circles, paper and all, in oil, paper-side up. Fry enough donuts to cover oil single layer. Remove paper when it separates from batter.
Flip donut when the underside is lightly browned, 1-2 minutes.
Remove from oil to a cooling rack. Spritz with lime juice.