Recipe of the Week
Bomboloni
PrintIngredients
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon lukewarm water
- 1 1/2 envelopes active dry yeast (3 ¼ teaspoons)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups canola oil, for frying
- 3/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves, store bought.
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting.
1. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, mix the water, yeast, honey and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the flour. (Alternatively, whisk the ingredients by hand.) Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until foamy, about 1 hour.
2. Return the bowl to the mixer, fitted with a dough hook. Add the remaining 1 ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons of flour, along with the milk, egg yolks, 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and the salt. Mix at low speed until blended, then add the butter and knead at medium speed until silky but sticky, about 5 minutes; the dough will not pull away from the side of the bowl. Using an oiled spatula, scrape the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. The dough will not rise.
3. In a large saucepan, heat the canola oil to 360 degrees. Line a rack with paper towels. Fill a shallow bowl with 1/2 inch of granulated sugar. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough a scant ½-inch thick. Using a ½-inch round biscuit cutter, stamp out 32 rounds; do not reroll the dough. Fry the rounds, 8 at a time, until they are browned, about 4 minutes. Be sure to keep the oil between 360 and 375 degrees. Drain the bomboloni on paper towels, then roll them in the granulated sugar. Continue frying and rolling the remaining bomboloni.
4. Fit a pastry bag with a plain donut tip (or a ¼-inch tip) and fill with the. Poke the tip three-fourths of the way into the bomboloni and squeeze in the various fillings, pulling the tip out slightly as you squeeze to fill them as much as possible. Dust the bomboloni with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm.
Almond pastry cream
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon toasted chopped almonds
- 1 1/4 cups half-and-half
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Pinch salt
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon butter
In a nonreactive saucepan, combine the almonds, 1 cup half-and-half and sugar. Whisk to dissolve.
Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. In a small bowl, combine the egg yolks, cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup half-and-half. Whisk well.
Remove the milk from the heat and add some of the hot liquid to the egg mixture and mix well. Add the egg mixture back to the simmering milk and place over the heat.
Bring to a boil, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Pour into a bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pastry cream. Cool completely before piping into pastry.
Caramel Apple Pie Filling
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs apples, peeled cored, and sliced (about 7 apples)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (use the best quality you can afford, because it makes a real difference)
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
- 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (optional)
1. Peel, core and slice apples. Should be about 6 cups of apples when sliced. Toss with lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
2. Cover or place into a resealable bag and allow flavors to mingle for 30 minutes.
3. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar together. Stir frequently. Heat on medium heat until mixture starts to bubble. Add salt.
4. Add apple mixture and all of the juices. Allow mixture to come to a gentle boil, lower heat and allow to simmer, stirring often, until the firmest apples start to soften. Cooking time can be adjusted to suit your preference for
apple texture. My family likes their apples on the softer side, so I let it cook until the firmest apples are fork tender.
5. If there is a lot of liquid, add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and stir through. Let this simmer a bit longer because the cornstarch will not thicken unless the liquid is at a boil.
6. Let cool before piping into pastry.
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