“When I was in college, for the first time I had my own kitchen (well, shared with a roommate of course) and was responsible for all my own cooking. It also meant I was able to get my own kitchen gadgets, one of them being a small deep fryer. I tested it out with these donuts. They proved more difficult than they seemed, but it was well worth the effort.” – April Ferre
In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add milk, butter, 1/3 cup sugar, egg yolks and salt; mix well. Stir in enough flour to form a soft dough (do not knead). Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead about 10 times. Divide dough in half. Roll each portion to 1/4-inch thickness; cut with a floured 2 1/2-inch round cutter.
Place about 1/2 teaspoon jelly in the center of half of the circles; brush edges with egg white. Top with remaining circles. Press edges to seal tightly. Place on greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about an hour.
In an electric skillet, heat oil to 375 degrees. Fry doughnuts, a few at a time, for 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
Roll doughnuts in remaining sugar while warm. Makes 16 doughnuts.
2003 Recipe – April Ferre – From Taste of Home Annual Recipes, 2003
Add yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar to water. Set aside until it starts to work, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, scald the milk and add the remaining sugar, butter, mashed potatoes and salt. Stir well to combine. Add 1/2 of the flour and eggs to yeast mixture. Mix well; dough will be sticky.
Add the rest of the flour and knead until blisters form. Let it raise until it doubles in size. Roll out about 1/2-inch thick or less. Cut out with doughnut cutter. Place on greased baking sheet at let rise until doubled in size.
Fry in deep hot oil (approximately 375 degrees) until brown. Drain on paper towels. Dip in powdered sugar glaze. Set out to dry. Makes 10 dozen.
Regular Doughnuts:
Use only 2/3 Cup Butter and 1/2 Cup Water and omit mashed potatoes.
Variation:
Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and nutmeg to doughnuts.
Glazes:
Powdered Sugar Glaze: 1 pound powdered sugar, vanilla and lemon flavoring, and hot water enough to make a thin frosting. Combine ingredients in bowl. Fill another slightly larger bowl with hot water. Place bowl of glaze in hot water to keep glaze the right consistency as you fry the doughnuts.
Chocolate-Fudge Glaze: See “Frostings & Fillings” Section.
“I modified this a bit to include some cabbage and carrots for color (1 1/2 cup cabbage, 1 cup bean sprouts, and 1/2 cup match stick carrots in place of 3 cups bean sprouts.) You can take out the ground pork and make these into spring rolls as well.” – April Ferre
Combine pork, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, sherry and garlic; mix well. Let stand 15 minutes.
In a large skillet, brown meat in 2 tablespoons oil. Add bean sprouts, onion, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are tender, but still crisp. Drain and cool.
Dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup water. Place about 1/3 cup vegetable-meat mixture on the lower half of an egg roll skin. Moisten left and right edges with cornstarch mixture. Fold bottom edge up just enough to cover fillings, left and right edges 1/2-inch over, and roll as for jelly roll. Moisten top edge with cornstarch mixture and seal. Continue with the rest of the spring rolls.
Mix together bisquick, 1/2 cup water and egg. Dip each roll in batter. Deep fry in oil until golden brown. Drain.
Slice each roll into 4 pieces. Serve with hot mustard, catsup or sweet and sour sauce if desired. Makes 8 spring rolls.
Heat oil in deep fryer to 350 degrees. Cut pita bread into eight wedges and fry until golden. Remove to cookie sheet lined with a paper towel and salt immediately. Serve with favorite salsa or dip.
Add egg to flour and mix well. Knead dough until smooth, wrap in damp cloth, and set aside for 30 minutes.
With rolling pin, roll out dough to semi-transparent thickness and cut into 3-inch squares. Sprinkle squares with cornstarch to prevent sticking and stack. (To store, wrap stacks of wrappings in foil or wax paper and refrigerate).
Mix shrimp, pork fat, dry sherry, salt, sugar and pepper. Place wrapping square with corner towards you. Dip finger in water and moisten opposite edge. Place 1/2 teaspoon filling in center of wrapping, fold corner across to opposite corner (corners should not align exactly). Pleat and press gently, but firmly, to seal.
Heat oil (360 degrees) and deep fry until golden. Serve hot or at room temperature as an hors d'oeuvre. Makes 20 wontons.
Note: Ready-made wrappings may be purchased.
1989 Recipe – Jean Hansen – From her cooking class with Julia Cheng.
“After moving into my very first apartment, I bought a little Fry-Daddy deep fryer. I tried all sorts of fried foods including tempura, crab-meat cream cheese wontons, and Jelly Donuts, and these classic onion rings.” – April Ferre
“A very juice little meatball in a crispy won ton skin. The water chestnuts give these little nuggets a nice texture with a fresh taste. Serve with Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce (a little sweet and a little spicy) or Sweet and Sour Sauce (much more sweet, like the sweet and sour sauce you get at a Chinese restaurant).” – April Ferre
