Rainbow Dipped Donuts

I've been seeing donut recipes pop up on Pinterest more and more lately and it just makes me feel more inspired to use my donut pan. It's only been used once before (on these chocolate beauties) and I figured it was about time it was dusted off. One of my favourite food bloggers, Joy the Baker, shared a fantastic recipe for a simple cake donut and it was exactly what I was looking for - Homer-simpson inspired, rainbow sprinkle donuts. These donuts are much lighter than my previous endeavour but they were still fantastic - the nuttiness from the browned butter is what makes these perfection. Here's the recipe!

Ingredients

1 cup white all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons salted butter

1 large egg

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 F and lightly spray a donut pan with oil Stir together the flour, powder, soda and cinnamon and sugar. In a saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter. Stir occasionally. It will slowly begin to crackle and then eventually begin to turn brown. As this happens very quickly, soon after it begins remove from the heat. In a bowl beat together the egg, buttermilk and vanilla. When the butter has cooled, whisk in two tablespoons (including some brown bits) into the egg mixture. Gently add in the flour mixture until just mixed. Scoop (or pipe, whichever is easiest) the batter into the pan and back for 8-12 minutes, until a toothpick comes out of the centre donut clean. Allow to cool.

To glaze mix together small amounts of powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract and a dash of salt until your desired consistency - more milk for thin, more sugar for thick. Now you can add food colouring, a couple tablespoons of cocoa powder or leave it as is. Dunk the donuts into the glaze and sprinkle rainbow sprinkles over top!

Grab a drink for dunking, Instagram these beautiful creations, and enjoy!

Turnovers, Ice Cream and Compote Oh My!

 Last week, after a long two days, I came home and focused all my energy into making dessert - my own 'anxiety-relieving exercise'. I've had my share of failed ice cream attempts, but not enough to keep me from trying once more. When day one was near its end, I decided that I would conquer ice cream once and for all. All seemed to go well with the custard stirring, cooling and churning but I would have to wait overnight until it could be deemed successful. After having a taste of my ice cream on day two, I knew it needed a pair. A quick look in my fridge, freezer and Pinterest boards and I realized the perfect partner - strawberry rhubarb turnovers (the compote came later).

Vanilla Ice Cream
8 egg yolks

2 cups 2% milk

2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups heavy cream

Follow these instructions for making the custard (mine took about 20 minutes until it was thick) and let it stand for a couple minutes to cool. Stir the heavy cream into the custard and chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Pour the churned ice cream into a metal loaf pan, seal with plastic wrap (pressing it onto the ice cream) and chill overnight.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Turnovers

1 sheet phyllo pastry 

(I used a square of Tenderflake, rolled out into a large rectangle)

1 cup diced strawberries

1 cup diced rhubarb

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp powdered sugar

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, cinnamon and ginger until the fruit is well coated. Cut the rolled out phyllo dough into 8 squares and place on the baking sheet. Leaving room around the edges, spoon the fruit filling onto the corner of each square, and fold over the empty corner. Seal the edges by pressing down with a fork. Brush the egg wash overtop each pastry and bake for 18-22 minutes, until they are golden brown. Sprinkle the tops with powdered sugar

I had some fruit filling left that I didn't want to waste, so I decided to make a compote. Simply put your leftover fruit mixture in a saucepan on medium heat and let it reduce until it is a thinner, jam like consistency. I also added a tablespoon more of sugar, and cut up a few more strawberries.

We had our turnovers topped with the vanilla ice cream and a spoonful of compote and oh-my-heavens, delish! The classic taste of the tart rhubarb with the sweet strawberries is not one to disappoint, and the smooth, creamy ice cream on top was the perfect addition.