Boston Cream Doughnuts Topped With Cacao Nibs Food

BOSTON CREAM DONUTS

Steps:

• Line a large baking sheet with a few layers of paper towels. Lightly grease another large baking sheet with butter or nonstick baking spray. Set both aside for later use.
• In a small bowl, combine the yeast and warm water; set aside until it foams up, about 5 minutes.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, combine the warm milk and butter and, using a silicon whisk, stir until the butter has completely dissolved.
• Add in the sugar, egg, egg yolk, salt, yeast mixture and 3 cups flour, and beat on medium-low speed until smooth. Beat in remaining flour just until a soft ball of dough forms around the hook. Don't knead the dough yet!
• Transfer the dough to a large, lightly greased bowl, turning once to coat the top. Cover tightly with saran wrap and set aside to rise in a warm area until it appears to have tripled in size, about 1 hour. (If you plan on making the dough in advance, see recipe notes).
• Gently punch the dough down and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough into a smooth ball, about 7-8 times, or until it's uniform in texture.
• Using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough out into a large rectangle, approximately 1/2" to 3/4" inch in thickness. Using a lightly floured 2 and 1/2-inch round dough cutter, cut an equal amount of circles from the rectangle. Use any dough scraps to make donuts hole! Just roll into tiny balls.
• Transfer the donuts to the prepared lightly greased baking sheet, spacing them an inch a part (they will rise). Cover pan lightly with saran wrap and set aside for 45 minutes, or until the doughnuts have almost doubled in size.
• When ready to fry, heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot, to 360°(F). Fry donuts, a few at a time, for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
• Transfer cooked donuts onto the prepared paper towel lined baking sheet, continuing until all donuts have been fried.
• In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch. Set aide.
• In a medium-sized saucepan, warm the milk over medium-heat until it comes to a gentle boil.
• Remove the pan from heat and slowly whisk 1 cup of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly.
• Return the mixture to the pan containing the remaining milk.
• Place over medium-high heat and cook, whisking constantly, until it comes to a boil. Once boiling, continue to cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes, or until very thick.
• Remove from heat. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pan with a spatula, then whisk smooth.
• Whisk in the butter, whisking until completely melted. Then whisk in the vanilla and salt.
• Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve and into a medium-sized glass bowl.
• Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap directly onto the surface to avoid a skin forming.
• Cool to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or until well chilled.
• Boston cream filling will keep, stored in the fridge, for up to 4 days!
• When ready to fill donuts, scrape the filling into a large pastry bag fitted with a small round nozzle.
• Using a large straw, or your pinky finger, make a small hole on the side of each doughnut.
• Carefully fit the nozzle of the bag into a doughnut and squeeze until you see the center begin to puff up. You can add a lot of filling, just be sure not to add so much the donut tears. Repeat with all donuts.
• Place the finely chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips) in a medium-sized heatproof bowl. Set aside.
• Warm the cream over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Add in the espresso powder, if using, and whisk smooth.
• Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute, then whisk smooth.
• Dip the top of each donut into the glaze, allowing excess chocolate to drip off before placing it on a large serving platter. Repeat with all donuts. Allow glaze to set, about 20 minutes. You can speed this up by placing the donuts in the fridge.
• Donuts are best served the day they are made. Store leftovers in the fridge, wrapped in saran wrap, for up to 48 hours.

BOSTON CREAM DONUTS

Steps:

• For the donuts: Sprinkle the yeast over the 2 tablespoons warm water in a liquid measuring cup. Add the pinch of sugar and set aside until bubbly, about 5 minutes.
• Combine the remaining 1/4 cup sugar with the flour, salt, nutmeg, buttermilk, shortening, egg, vanilla, 150 grams (2/3 cup) water and yeast mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Beat on medium-high speed until a smooth ball of dough forms around the hook and only slightly sticks to the bottom of the bowl, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer the dough to a large bowl lightly sprayed with cooking spray; cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly sprinkle with flour.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 9-by-11-inch rectangle that's 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Use a 3 1/2-inch round cutter to cut out 12 donuts. Transfer the donuts to the prepared baking sheet, cover with a towel, wrap with plastic wrap and let rise until they puff slightly, about 20 minutes.
• For the chocolate glaze: In a double boiler over hot, but not boiling, water, combine the chocolate chips, butter and salt. Let mixture gently heat until the chips are melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the honey and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
• To fry the donuts: Heat 6 inches of oil in a large heavy pot fitted with a candy thermometer over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 350 to 375 degrees. Fry the donuts in batches, flipping halfway through, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer the donuts to a wire rack to cool for 2 minutes.
• To fill and decorate the donuts: Once the donuts are able to be handled, but still warm, fill them with the vanilla pudding then dip the tops in the chocolate glaze. Sprinkle with the sprinkles and enjoy!

CACAO NIB CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Pop the corn according to package directions and transfer to a large bowl. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, salt, corn syrup, vanilla bean and cacao nibs. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, over medium heat.
• Pour the caramel over the popcorn, tossing to coat evenly. Divide the caramel corn between 2 parchment-lined sheet pans. Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until the popcorn is sticky and caramelized, about 1 hour. Cool the popcorn on sheet pans, stirring often for the first few minutes (so it doesn't stick together). Store in an airtight container up to 5 days.

BOSTON CREAM DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• Heat the milk until it is warm but not hot, about 90 degrees. In a large bowl, combine it with the yeast. Stir lightly, and let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Using an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, beat the eggs, butter, sugar and salt into the yeast mixture. Add half of the flour (2 cups plus 2 tablespoons), and mix until combined, then mix in the rest of the flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Add more flour, about 2 tablespoons at a time, if the dough is too wet. If you're using an electric mixer, the dough will probably become too thick to beat; when it does, transfer it to a floured surface, and gently knead it until smooth. Grease a large bowl with a little oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl, and cover. Let rise at room temperature until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
• Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and roll it to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out the doughnuts with a doughnut cutter, concentric cookie cutters or a drinking glass and a shot glass (the larger one should be about 3 inches in diameter), flouring the cutters as you go. Reserve the doughnut holes. If you're making filled doughnuts, don't cut out the middle. Knead any scraps together, being careful not to overwork, and let rest for a few minutes before repeating the process.
• Put the doughnuts on two floured baking sheets so that there is plenty of room between each one. Cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place until they are slightly puffed up and delicate, about 45 minutes. If your kitchen isn't warm, heat the oven to 200 at the beginning of this step, then turn off the heat, put the baking sheets in the oven and leave the door ajar.
• About 15 minutes before the doughnuts are done rising, put the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, and heat it to 375. Meanwhile, line cooling racks, baking sheets or plates with paper towels.
• Carefully add the doughnuts to the oil, a few at a time. If they're too delicate to pick up with your fingers (they may be this way only if you rose them in the oven), use a metal spatula to pick them up and slide them into the oil. It's O.K. if they deflate a bit; they'll puff back up as they fry. When the bottoms are deep golden, after 45 seconds to a minute, use a slotted spoon to flip; cook until they're deep golden all over. Doughnut holes cook faster. Transfer the doughnuts to the prepared plates or racks, and repeat with the rest of the dough, adjusting the heat as needed to keep the oil at 375.
• For the glaze, whisk together 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 cup milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Dip the tops of the doughnuts in the glaze, and let it harden on a rack.
• Combine 2/3 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons cornstarch and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan. Over medium heat, whisk in 2 eggs and 2 cups cream. Continue cooking, whisking almost constantly, until the mixture just begins to boil and thickens, about 10 minutes. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently; cook until it coats the back of a spoon (when you draw your finger through this coating, the resulting line should hold its shape). Stir in 2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, and cool to room temperature before using.
• To fill the doughnuts with the pastry cream, insert the tip of a pastry bag filled with cream into the side of the doughnut, and squeeze. (Alternatively, poke a chopstick into the side of the doughnut, and wiggle it around to hollow out some space inside. Plunge a small funnel into the hole, spoon some filling into the funnel and use the chopstick to push it into the doughnut. If the filling clumps up toward the center of the doughnut, just press lightly on the top to distribute it evenly.)