Daring Bakers: Doughnuts

The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.

When I found out the doughnuts was this months challenge I was quite happy! Doughnuts are a pretty common food in Canada, and right now because it's fall there are pumpkin doughnuts showing up in the coffee shops! I was really eager to try making some myself, and I'm happy to say they were a success! They were moist and actually tasted pumpkiny (which I've found a lot of versions do not). They were pretty easy to make, though I don't know if I'd make them again since it made so many doughnuts that it kind of ended up being wasteful (And I don't think making a handful of homemade donuts is really worth the hassle). Glad I've made them though (so now if I ever move to another country again I'll still be able to get my yummy doughnut fix!).

Pumpkin Doughnuts:
Yield: About 24 doughnuts & 24 doughnut holes
(I found that the recipe made less then that)
Recipe from: Bon Appetit

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour 3.5 cup / 840 ml / 490 gm / 17 ¼ oz
Baking Powder 4 teaspoon / 20 ml / 24 gm / .85 oz
Table Salt 1 teaspoon / 5 ml / 6 gm / .2 oz
Cinnamon, ground 1 teaspoon / 5 ml / 6 gm / .2 oz
Ginger, ground ½ teaspoon / 2.5 ml / 3 gm / .1 oz
Baking Soda ½ teaspoon / 2.5 ml / 3 gm / .1 oz
Nutmeg, ground ¼ teaspoon / 1.25 ml / 1.5 gm / .05 oz
Cloves, ground 1/8 teaspoon / .6 ml / ¾ gm / .025 oz
White Granulated Sugar 1 cup / 240 ml / 225 gm / 8 oz
Butter, Unsalted 3 Tablespoon / 45 ml / 42 gm / 1.5 oz
Egg, Large 1
Egg Yolk, Large 2
Pure Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon / 5 ml
Buttermilk ½ cup + 1 Tablespoon / 135 ml /
Pumpkin 1 cup / 240 ml / 285 gm / 10 oz (Canned pure pumpkin or fresh cooked and pureed pumpkin – DON’T use pumpkin pie mix!)
Canola Oil DEPENDS on size of vessel you are frying in – you want THREE (3) inches of oil (can substitute any flavorless oil used for frying)

Powdered Sugar Glaze:
Powdered (Icing) Sugar 2 cup / 480 ml / 250 gm / 9 oz
Whipping Cream (About 32% butter fat) 4 Tablespoon + more if needed / 60 ml

Directions:

1. Whisk together the first 8 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until blended (the mixture will be grainy and not smooth). Beat in egg, then yolks and vanilla. Gradually beat in buttermilk; beat in pumpkin. Using rubber spatula, fold in dry ingredients in 4 additions, blending gently after each addition. Cover with plastic; chill 3 hours.
2. Sprinkle 2 rimmed baking sheets lightly with flour. Press out 1/3 of dough on floured surface to 1/2- to 2/3-inch (12 mm to 15 mm) thickness. Using 2 1/2-inch (65 mm) -diameter round cutter, cut out dough rounds. Arrange on sheets. Repeat with remaining dough in 2 more batches. Gather dough scraps. Press out dough and cut out more dough rounds until all dough is used.
3. Using 1-inch (25 mm) diameter round cutter, cut out center of each dough round to make doughnuts and doughnut holes.
4. Line 2 baking sheets with several layers of paper towels. Pour oil into large deep skillet to depth of 1 1/2 inches (40 mm). Attach deep-fry thermometer and heat oil to 365°F to 370°F (185°C to 188°C). Fry doughnut holes in 2 batches until golden brown, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Fry doughnuts, 3 or 4 at a time, until golden brown, adjusting heat to maintain temperature, about 1 minute per side. Using slotted spoon, transfer doughnuts to paper towels to drain. Cool completely.

Glaze Directions:

1. Whisk powdered sugar and 4 tablespoons whipping cream to blend. Whisk in additional cream, 1 teaspoon at a time, to form medium thick glaze.
2. Can be made up to 3 hours ahead.
3. Add doughnut holes to bowl of spiced sugar and toss to coat.
4. Spread doughnuts on 1 side with powdered sugar glaze.
5. Arrange doughnuts, glazed side up, on racks. Let stand until glaze sets, at least 30 minutes.

Review: Nick and Nat's Uptown 21

When I first heard about Nick and Nat's Uptown 21, I was told that the chef from Hannah's was the chef at Uptown 21. And while I never made it to Hannah's before it closed, I did make it to Hannah's Tapa's. I was in love with Hannah's Tapa's and Martin loved Hannah's so we had high hopes for Uptown 21.

And we were not disappointed! One of the first things that stood out about Uptown 21 is that they use seasonal local produce. The second thing that stood out is that they have a daily prix fixe menu.
I fell in love with fixed menus when I was living in the Netherlands; Less choices, but more affordable if you want a 3 course meal. One of the top reasons I love fixed menus is because I often have to try foods that I've never tried, or have not tried in a long time. And Uptown 21 did not disappoint in that sense.

Now, I was hoping to grab the menu to take a picture of it so I would remember what I had eaten, but I forgot to do that (and we were one of the last tables in the restaurant at that point too). So I'll try my best to accurately describe the dishes we ate.
Also, sorry for the quality of the photographs! The lighting was terrible for picture taking so I had to use flash!

First up: Captain Picard’s foie gras bites; Nick’s interpretation of the great French Canadian chef’s foie gras croquettes

The first thing I thought when I read the description was....omg Captain Picard! teeheehee. Sorry, the trekkie in me cannot be contained sometimes. The second thought...oh! Martin Picard! This is going to be awesome! And it was! The fois gras had melted a little since it was deep fried and the texture was amazingly silky. And the sauce! TO DIE FOR! I really had to stop myself from licking the plate (and I obviously could not stop myself from devouring it before taking a picture! Oops!) You can tell it's the chef from Hannah's because of the sauces! This little baby will only set you back $4 to boot! I could go for a few more of these!

Now on to the daily Prix Fixe Menu that we went for. My cousin, Martin and I all went for the 3 courses of 2 apps and a main which is $40. If you did 1 app, a main and a dessert then it would be only $35. Martin's mom went for a main on the regular menu.

First up, the first appetizer:

This appetizer was what I choose. It is a squash carpaccio, blonde frisse with fried onions and a corn and cheese fritter. And again the sauce with it was amazing. I'm pretty sure it had figs in it. The squash was cut so thinly it just felt so light to eat. I think I might be a squash lover now! And the fritter was perfectly fried; not too hard and not too soft. And it just burst with flavour. I could eat this everyday. Seriously, not exaggerating.

This was Martin's first choice. A salted cod spread with toasted bread. He loved it, I however was not a fan since it was very salty and fishy...and I'm not a fan of fish. But any fish or seafood lover would love this!

Next up for our second app:

This is what I choose: Beet salad with aged cheddar and roasted corn. Again, I could eat this everyday! It was a very light salad that was dressed very lightly and full of flavour. Dispite what the picture looks like, this salad was a mountain! I couldn't finish it all so Martin also had some of it.

And Martin's choice was a Morrocan style lamb soup with kale.  I loved it! The lamb had a really nice spice taste and the kale was a great addition of texture. Martin was not really a fan of the kale though.

And now the mains!

 My choice was the braised baby beef shank. And oh was it good! It was so tender and caramelized. It was really just falling off the bone! I'm really sad that I could not eat it all since I had stuffed myself so much with the apps! Oh well, next time I know to take it easy.

Martin got yellow perch a cheese fondue and pureed pumpkin. Martin said it was amazing, but the least amazing out of all the courses. Again, I found it too fishy (but I am not a fish lover).

And yes, on top of all that found my cousin and I shared a dessert: Crème brulée.

Yes, we ate it all before I remember to take a picture! It was to die for. The BEST Crème brulée I have ever had! Can you see all the vanilla seeds in the bottom. I ate as many of them as I could.

And Martin's mom choice a main off of the regular menu: Choucroute Garnis; house smoked sausages, bacon and pork loin chop braised with white wine sauerkraut, potatoes and apples $28.

I did not try this but it smelled delicious! And it was a huge portion! Two people could have eaten that! (there was more of the side in a hot skillet that is not in the picture).


I really hope that I am able to go to Nick and Nat's Uptown 21 more often. I cant wait to see what else they can come up with!

Overall I was blown away by the food. It took a long time to get to the table, but it was worth the wait, and it was a nice change to spend a few hours in the restaurant and not get pushed out. The only thing that I think needs improvement is the service, as a drink order or two was forgotten. But overall I have nothing to complain about!


Nick and Nat's Uptown 21's rating is:  5/5

Nick & Nat's Uptown21
21 King Street North, Waterloo, ON
(519-883-1100)
http://www.uptown21.ca/

Buskers, Burrito Bowls and Beer

 Here in Waterloo, ON we have a street festival every year. It's the Busker Carnival! It's an international street performers festival and it's always guaranteed fun! I had a little bit of time by myself so I decided to stop by on my way to get groceries for my dinner.

Bob was hilarious! And very talented! He put on a great show and really got the crowd going. There were also a few scary moments:

He was juggling knives while doing that! Craziness! I wish I would have had more time to see some other performers too, but I was getting hungry and headed to the grocery store instead.

 

I wanted to make a dinner that would require a bit more time then I usually have since I had the day off work. I saw Burritos Bowls on Closet Cooking and knew that I had to make them! They were a lot of work since I had to make so many different recipes, but it was so worth it! The rice was tangy and fresh tasting and the Pico de Gallo was so good! Nice and spicy! I didn't want to buy tequila just for this recipe so I used some of the pre-cooked chicken I had in the freezer and heated it up with lime juice and cumin. Though if I made this again I would just skip the chicken all together since the jalapano spiced black beans were more then enough :) And again, just the right amount of heat! Yum!
And of course a nice cold beer is a great way to end a hot day:

Urban Knitting/Yarn Bombing and Miso

I have just recently discovered a new type of graffiti in Waterloo: Urban Knitting or Yarn Bombing.
Here are some examples:

I actually saw the girl knitting the one in the last picture! We were coming home from Ethel's at 11pm and she was sitting there knitting it on! :) Wish I would have had my camera on me.
I'll keep my eye's peeled for new knitted stuff.

UPDATE!: Last night I found tons of new yarn bombs! I guess keeping an eye out for them really worked! I wrote this post yesterday and wanted to post it today so I went out this morning and took pictures of the new yarn bombs that I had not seen before.

The one on the tree had a tag on it that went to this site. Zilliah explains a bit about who she is and what yarn bombing is, and she has a cute blog.
I'll continue to keep my eyes open for more :)

Also, I just bought a tub of red miso and I was trying to think of ways I could use it up. Since I've been taking salads to work a lot recently I figured I should make some miso salad dressing.
This dressing is so amazingly tasty! It's spicy, sour and salty all at the same time! It really livens up salads and you could also use this as a dip for veggies! :)

Miso Salad Dressing
Serves 1


Ingredients:
1 tbsp red miso paste
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp honey
1 tsp mustard OR 1/2 tsp wasabi

Directions:
1. Add all ingredients to a bowl or tupperware and mix well unitl smooth.
2. Add dressing to salad (or keep in fridge until ready to use).

A Day in the Park

Despite having rain a few days this week, we did have some nice days as well. On on of these nice days I went for a nice long walk in Waterloo Park. Here are some of the things I saw:

Can you tell I like birds??? ;)
The mother peacock has a baby peacock hiding under her wing...can you see the baby? And the miniature pony was scratching his butt on the fence! So funny!
And why do the Canada Geese want to cross the road??? Just to screw with cars...since there is nothing but a fence on the other side of the road!