Can you elaborate on this meal? Did you literally just throw all these things in raw and bake it? Did you cook the bacon before hand?
Yeah. All you do is matchstick some thick cut bacon and pan fry it lightly. While you're doing that, grease each ramekin with butter. Break two eggs in each. Add shredded cheese and the cooked bacon on top carefully, so as to cover the eggs completely while not breaking the yolks. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
They're damn good. You want the eggs just a bit runny so they're spreadable; the ramekin's heat will keep cooking them after they're removed from the oven.
I made some cider doughnuts. They are edible, but not the greatest. To me they taste like slightly cinamonny pancakes. Nothing like the cider doughnuts you get at the farm. I think part of my problem is that my oil level wasn't deep enough, so my thermometer was reporting too low, and the oil was too hot. That's kinda crazy considering I used an entire tub of Crisco. Maybe the pan was just too big? The oil level would have been deeper in a smaller pan.
It also could have just been the recipe I was using. My doughnuts actually look a lot like the ones in the recipe photos. I will definitely try a different recipe next time.
The oil level would have been deeper in a smaller pan.
Yeah, a deeper oil level is pretty crucial when doing donuts or other deep-fried things. It helps maintain a more consistent temperature during the fry.
They do look a little over-done, but if they look like the photos in the recipe, then the recipe probably sucks.
OK, upon further investigation, I believe I have spotted a potential problem. I'm posting the recipe and bolding the problem:
1 cup apple cider 3 1/2 cups flour, plus additional for the work surface 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) butter, at room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 1/2 cup buttermilk Vegetable oil or shortening (see my explanation in the post) for frying
Absolutely every other cider donut recipe I've ever seen either uses vegetable oil or shortening instead of butter in the dough. Why is that? Because butter burns at about 350 F, while oils and shortenings don't usually burn until about 400 F.
So, the reason your donuts look overdone is likely because the butter in the recipe started overcooking during the frying. Next time, use a more heat-friendly fat in the dough.
I'm pretty sure you can pull it off frying at 350 F without it burning if you manage your heat well and clarify the butter a bit beforehand.
Well, sure, but if you're going through the effort of clarifying the butter, you might as well just use vegetable oil.
Also, burning isn't an "on/off" thing. It's not like the butter is absolutely fine at 349 F and completely burned at 351 F. Generally speaking, as you approach the burning point of a given fat, you'll start to actually get some roasted flavors in there. A higher temperature oil won't change in character at the same temperature that butter would.
7 oz frozen chopped onions, about 2 cups 3 pound(s) raw lean chuck roast or beef brisket, trimmed, boneless, cut into 1-inch pieces 2 large garlic clove(s), minced 2 medium sweet potato(es), peeled and cut into bite-size chunks 1/2 pound(s) baby carrots, cut in half if large 8 small uncooked new potatoes, cut in half (unpeeled) 16 dried apricots, diced 4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, divided (from 2 small lemons) 5 tsp honey, divided 1 1/2 tsp table salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1 cup(s) canned beef broth
* Place onion, beef, garlic, sweet potatoes, carrots, new potatoes, prunes, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of honey in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add salt, pepper, cinnamon and broth; stir well.
* Cook on low setting for 7 to 8 hours. About 5 minutes before serving, stir in remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and remaining 2 teaspoons of honey; cover and cook on low for 5 minutes. Yields about 1 1/2 cups of solids and gravy per serving.
Flour can be added, but it really is unnecessary. You can even use a bit less salt than the recipe calls for; the honey and cinnamon carry the flavor without being too overpowering (in these proportions).
Tonight I cooked perline pasta stuffed with prosciutto with a marinara sauce that I cooked with 1lb ground beef, 1lb ground italian sausage, package of mushrooms, and hodge-podge frozen veggies.
Not really a recipe and mostly all premade, but it is very tasty.
Sadly, I cannot take credit. The specific recipe comes from Weight Watchers and is based on the Jewish recipe, tzimmes. We made the chuck roast variation (as we had it on hand and it is far healthier than the brisket) and it was awesome. The honey and the spices make this so awesome.
Once we plow our way through this, we're going to attempt to make Morroccan chicken with the rest of the apricots and some squash. The slow cooker is my friend.
Oh, that is interesting what you point out about the butter. i actually picked that recipe because it used butter, and I thought it would be less trans-fat that way. I will definitely try a non-butter recipe next time.
Yeah. Frying is best with an oil with a very high smoke point. Refined safflower or canola oil is your best bet. Clarified butter is good for pan frying if you have access to a microwave.
i actually picked that recipe because it used butter, and I thought it would be less trans-fat that way.
Pure vegetable oil should be trans-fat free. There is also trans-fat free Crisco. Either one should be good to use; just look for a recipe that calls for oil instead of butter.
The other ingredients in that recipe are pretty standard, FYI. In fact, the butter is the only thing I found that was significantly different than any other donut recipe.
I thought about using canola for the deep frying, but I thought it might smoke/burn earlier than the Crisco. Next time I'm going to try the safflower oil that people talk about so much.
There is also trans-fat free Crisco.
I am unable to find such a thing on their web site. The Crisco I got claims to have 0 trans fat per serving, but that doesn't really mean it has zero.
One other thing that bothers me is just the sheer quantity of oil for deep frying. I had to use an entire tub of Crisco, and it still wasn't three inches deep. I could have used a smaller pan/pot, but I felt like I had the right amount of area to get three or four doughnuts at once. That tub of Crisco cost $6. That means I need to pay $12 every time I deep fry? It's just not worth it unless I'm frying a A LOT of stuff, or if I have some way to save/reuse the oil.
I wouldn't use canola. It doesn't really have a neutral flavor. Regular vegetable oil would be better. Actually, peanut oil is pretty neutral-tasting, and I believe it's cheaper than safflower. Safflower is great, but it's really better for stir-frying or other high-temperature applications.
Also, remember that I'm talking about the fat that you're using in the donut, not the fat you're using for frying.
That means I need to pay $12 every time I deep fry?
I'm not sure about re-using Crisco, but you can re-use any high-temperature frying oil. You can probably get 6 - 8 batches out of a single pot of oil. Get yourself an empty wine bottle, wrap it in foil, and strain the used frying oil into it. You may consider lining a funnel with cheesecloth and straining through that; that way, you get all the nasty bits out.
Peanut oil is not really cheap (at least not here), Sunflower, Refined Canola or Soy bean oil should do the work just fine, and they won't add too much flavor to the thing they are frying, I find that peanut and corn oil tend to add flavor (but that's just me).
I'm more concerned with oil that will not smoke or set on fire at high temperature. If it adds flavor, that's kinda good because oil flavor is good. I'm also going to double the cider next time. I reduced 1 cup to 1/4 cup. Next time I'm reducing 2 cups to 1/2 cup. I'm also going to start thinking about glaze. Can't be a doughnut master without glaze.
If I'm not mistaken all oil will smoke and ignite at a certain point. TheWhaleShark may be able to enlighten you on the subject, but I'm pretty sure that at least corn, canola and soy have a high smoke point, refined Canola is under 400 F if I'm not mistaken.
If I'm not mistaken all oil will smoke and ignite at a certain point. TheWhaleShark may be able to enlighten you on the subject, but I'm pretty sure that at least corn, canola and soy have a high smoke point, refined Canola is under 400 F if I'm not mistaken.
Refined Canola is around 470 F while Refined Peanut is around 450 F. Safflower oil has a smoke point of around 510 F. Yay charts!
I'm more concerned with oil that will not smoke or set on fire at high temperature.
AFAIK, the most resilient oils are safflower, grapeseed, and soybean oil; those have smoke points up around 450 - 500 F. The smoke point can vary depending on a lot of factors, though. Refined canola hovers right around 400 F. Extra-virgin olive oil is around 375, and lighter (and deflowered) olive oils have higher smoke points.
Comments
They're damn good. You want the eggs just a bit runny so they're spreadable; the ramekin's heat will keep cooking them after they're removed from the oven.
It also could have just been the recipe I was using. My doughnuts actually look a lot like the ones in the recipe photos. I will definitely try a different recipe next time.
Recipe - Photos
They do look a little over-done, but if they look like the photos in the recipe, then the recipe probably sucks.
OK, upon further investigation, I believe I have spotted a potential problem. I'm posting the recipe and bolding the problem:
1 cup apple cider
3 1/2 cups flour, plus additional for the work surface
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
Vegetable oil or shortening (see my explanation in the post) for frying
Absolutely every other cider donut recipe I've ever seen either uses vegetable oil or shortening instead of butter in the dough. Why is that? Because butter burns at about 350 F, while oils and shortenings don't usually burn until about 400 F.
So, the reason your donuts look overdone is likely because the butter in the recipe started overcooking during the frying. Next time, use a more heat-friendly fat in the dough.
Also, burning isn't an "on/off" thing. It's not like the butter is absolutely fine at 349 F and completely burned at 351 F. Generally speaking, as you approach the burning point of a given fat, you'll start to actually get some roasted flavors in there. A higher temperature oil won't change in character at the same temperature that butter would.
7 oz frozen chopped onions, about 2 cups
3 pound(s) raw lean chuck roast or beef brisket, trimmed, boneless, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large garlic clove(s), minced
2 medium sweet potato(es), peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
1/2 pound(s) baby carrots, cut in half if large
8 small uncooked new potatoes, cut in half (unpeeled)
16 dried apricots, diced
4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, divided (from 2 small lemons)
5 tsp honey, divided
1 1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup(s) canned beef broth
* Place onion, beef, garlic, sweet potatoes, carrots, new potatoes, prunes, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of honey in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add salt, pepper, cinnamon and broth; stir well.
* Cook on low setting for 7 to 8 hours. About 5 minutes before serving, stir in remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and remaining 2 teaspoons of honey; cover and cook on low for 5 minutes. Yields about 1 1/2 cups of solids and gravy per serving.
Flour can be added, but it really is unnecessary. You can even use a bit less salt than the recipe calls for; the honey and cinnamon carry the flavor without being too overpowering (in these proportions).
Your Mom tested. Cremlian approved.
You're a genius.
Hm. The apricots sound awesome as well. I want to try making this with lamb instead of beef.
Not really a recipe and mostly all premade, but it is very tasty.
Once we plow our way through this, we're going to attempt to make Morroccan chicken with the rest of the apricots and some squash. The slow cooker is my friend.
The other ingredients in that recipe are pretty standard, FYI. In fact, the butter is the only thing I found that was significantly different than any other donut recipe.
One other thing that bothers me is just the sheer quantity of oil for deep frying. I had to use an entire tub of Crisco, and it still wasn't three inches deep. I could have used a smaller pan/pot, but I felt like I had the right amount of area to get three or four doughnuts at once. That tub of Crisco cost $6. That means I need to pay $12 every time I deep fry? It's just not worth it unless I'm frying a A LOT of stuff, or if I have some way to save/reuse the oil.
Also, remember that I'm talking about the fat that you're using in the donut, not the fat you're using for frying. I'm not sure about re-using Crisco, but you can re-use any high-temperature frying oil. You can probably get 6 - 8 batches out of a single pot of oil. Get yourself an empty wine bottle, wrap it in foil, and strain the used frying oil into it. You may consider lining a funnel with cheesecloth and straining through that; that way, you get all the nasty bits out.