Doughnuts for dessert

What's behind our fondness for doughnuts? They're sweet, fried, cheap and we love their shape.

According to Gale Gand, executive pastry chef and partner at Tramanto's Steak House in Wheeling and Tru in Chicago, "It's a comfort food that we grew up with. We love the crunch of the exterior and the tenderness of the interior that the frying creates."

Greg Patent, a master baker and author of "A Baker's Odyssey" (Wiley, $34.95) explains that, "sugar and fat are a great combination in terms of flavor, and we have a natural attraction to both. Texture plus sweet plus fat equals a wonderful explosion in the mouth."

The hole story

Although doughnuts have been around since biblical times, the first occurrence of the term "dough nut" in the United States was in 1809 when it was used to describe a Dutch treat, olykoeks meaning oily cakes, which consisted of fried balls of dough.

"The sweet dough," according to Patent, "contained fresh or dried fruits and was fried in lard, drained and sprinkled with sugar." There are several theories as to how the hole was invented, but it's beneficial effect was to overcome the problem of uncooked centers.

Doughnuts have survived and even thrived in a pastry world devoted to Danish pastries, croissants and petit fours. We expect to see doughnuts in the office, at church socials, on fund-raising brochures and in the hands of snack moms. But in fine dining?

Yes, they have been reinvented as elegant desserts.

Gand believes that the elevation of this classic dessert is due to "who our pastry chefs are. It is the baby-boomer woman using a childhood treat as a jumping-off point to create more avant-garde stuff."

In "The Donut Book" (Storey, $14.95) Sally Levitt Steinberg states, "a well-made donut (sic.) is perfectly simple and simply perfect."

Gand agrees. "It's best to take a simple, familiar thing and make it fresh, the best you've ever had."

All dressed up

At Spiaggia, you'll find doughnuts dressed in Italian finery on the dessert menu. The bomboloni con zabaglione alla grappa di moscato (homemade doughnuts with grappa di moscato zabaglione) are served warm with a creamy dipping sauce, and may I add that they are heavenly.

At Chicago's innovative Moto, pastry chef Ben Roche, has used doughnuts as an ingredient to make doughnut soup, doughnut ice cream and doughnut pancakes.

"Doughnuts are tasty," says Roche, "and I like taking a finished food product and turning it into another form. It's exciting for diners to experience a flavor they are familiar with in another texture; it's interesting and thought provoking."

Roche's doughnut pancakes recipe calls for pureeing glazed doughnuts, what better way to morph a few day-old holey rollers.

Gand shares with us her recipes for Vita's ricotta doughnuts and chocolate doughnuts with cranberry jam. You'll notice that the chocolate doughnut recipe calls for mashed potatoes as an ingredient. Gand, while doing research and development for Krispy Kreme, learned that commercial doughnut dough often contained potato starch.

"It holds moisture in a different way than wheat flour," explained Gand, "the result is a softer, finer crumb."

Doughnuts as dessert are a fun departure from traditional sweet endings and, believe it or not, they are made with less fat, sugar and eggs than other sweet doughs.

So why not try skewering doughnut holes and dipping them in spiked bittersweet chocolate, espresso, dulce de leche or a fruit-based sauce for a sophisticated treat.

Vita's Ricotta Doughnuts

6 large eggs

#189; cup granulated sugar

1 pound whole or skim-milk ricotta cheese

2#189; cups all-purpose flour

1 heaping tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Canola or vegetable oil, for frying

Powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar, for dusting

In a large bowl, stir together the eggs, granulated sugar, ricotta, flour, baking powder and vanilla until combined, being careful not to overmix the batter.

In a deep, heavy pot fitted with a deep-frying thermometer, heat 2 to 3 inches of oil to 325 degrees. Drop the batter by small ice cream scoopfuls or small spoonfuls (use 2 teaspoons) into the oil and fry for 3 minutes, turning often, until golden brown on each side. You may need to fry the doughnuts in two batches to avoid crowding the pot. Break open a doughnut to make sure it's cooked all the way through.

Scoop out the doughnuts with a slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels or a brown paper bag to drain. Let the oil come back up to temperature and repeat with the remaining batter.

Dust the doughnuts with or roll them in powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar and serve hot.

Makes 16 doughnuts.

Cook's note: You can cover the batter and put it into the refrigerator (up to 1 day ahead) until you're ready to fry, but you might have to increase the frying time slightly to compensate for the colder batter.

Nutrition values per doughnut: 160 calories, 5 g fat (2 g saturated), 22 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 8 g protein, 75 mg cholesterol, 170 mg sodium.

"Chocolate Vanilla" by Gale Gand (2006 Clarkson Potter, $22.50)

Chocolate Doughnuts With Cranberry Jam

Jam

8 ounces (#189; bag) cranberries, fresh or frozen

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

Doughnuts

#189; ounce (2 envelopes) active dry yeast

#188; cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

#189; cup lukewarm water (about body temperature, 98.6 degrees)

#190; cup all-purpose flour

#189; cup cake flour

#188; cup cocoa powder

#190; teaspoon baking soda

#188; cup hot water

3 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted

#188; cup confectioner's sugar

#189; teaspoon salt

1 medium-large Idaho potato (about 6 ounces), boiled, peeled and mashed

Vegetable oil for frying

Glaze

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

#189; cup heavy cream

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment or waxed paper or a non-stick baking mat.

For the jam: Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring often. Cook until the cranberries pop, then continue cooking 1 minute more. Let cool and chill until ready to serve.

For the doughnuts: Combine the yeast, sugar and warm water in the bowl of a mixer, stirring until the yeast is dissolved. Add #188; cup all-purpose flour and #188; cup cake flour. Stir well and set aside to proof in a warm place until foamy, about 30 minutes.

Combine the cocoa powder and baking soda in a large bowl and add the hot water. Stir to dissolve. Add the melted chocolate to the cocoa powder mixture and mix. Add the confectioner's sugar, salt and potato and mix.

Fit your mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the chocolate mixture, #188; cup all-purpose flour and #188; cup cake flour to the yeast mixture in the bowl and mix at low speed to combine. Mix at high speed for 30 seconds. Add the remaining #188; cup all-purpose flour and mix at high speed until combined. The dough may be sticky.

Flour a work surface heavily and knead the dough gently for about 30 seconds, just to bring it together. Transfer to a greased bowl and set aside to proof (rise) in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1#189; hours. Punch the dough down, then proof another 30 minutes.

Flour a work surface heavily and pat the dough out to about #189;-inch thick. Use a 1#189; inch and a #189;-inch cookie cutter to cut out doughnuts and then the holes, flouring the cutters each time. Set onto prepared pan.

Heat the oil in a deep fryer (or 2 inches of oil in a deep, heavy pot fitted with a deep-frying thermometer) to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with paper towels. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, and letting the oil return to 375 degrees between batches, slip the doughnuts into the oil. Flip once and cook no more than 30 seconds total (they burn easily). Set aside to drain and cool on the lined pan. Cook the doughnut holes in the same manner, frying just 20 seconds and moving them around in the oil as they cook.

For the glaze: Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Bring the cream to a boil in a saucepan, pour it over the chocolate and let sit, whisking occasionally to melt the chocolate and combine the mixture. When smooth, and the doughnuts are cooled, dip the doughnuts on one side in the warm chocolate glaze and set aside to cool. Serve the doughnuts on plates with a dollop of jam on the side for dipping.

Makes about 30 doughnuts.

Nutrition values per serving: 90 calories, 4.5 g fat (2 g saturated), 13 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein, 5 mg cholesterol, 75 mg sodium.

Chef Gale Gand, Tru, Chicago

Bomboloni con Zabaglione alla grappa di Moscato (Handmade Doughnuts with Grappa Di Moscato Zabaglione)

Bomboloni

1 two-ounce cake fresh yeast or 3 packages active dry yeast

#188; cup warm water

#189; cup sugar, divided

1 egg

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

#189; cup whole milk

#189; teaspoon salt

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Canola oil for deep frying

Zabaglione

7 egg yolks

#189; cup sugar

Pinch of salt

#189; cup water

#188; cup grappa di Moscato

1 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

1 cup sugar for coating

To make the bomboloni: In a bowl, whisk together the yeast, water and #188; cup sugar. Let stand for about 10 minutes so the yeast can bloom. When the yeast is foamy, transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Mix in the egg, butter, milk, salt and the remaining #188; cup sugar. Slowly add in the flour and mix until smooth.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, turn out onto a lightly floured work surface, and roll out about #188; inch thick. Use a 1-inch round cookie cutter to cut out as many rounds as possible from the dough, using all the dough. (Do not combine and reuse scraps.) Place on floured baking sheets and let rise until doubled again, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile make the zabaglione: Have ready a large bowl of ice water. In a metal bowl set over (but not touching) a pan of simmering water, whisk together the egg yolks, #189; cup sugar, salt, water and grappa until thick and pale, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, place the pan in the bowl of ice water, and stir to cool. When cool, fold in the whipped cream. Set aside. Put the 1 cup sugar in a shallow dish and set aside.

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat, pour oil to a depth of 8 inches. Heat to 350 degrees on a deep-frying thermometer. Add one-third of the bomboloni and fry, turning once, until golden, 30-60 seconds per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain. While still warm, toss in a little sugar to coat. Repeat with the remaining batches.

Serve the bomboloni warm with the zabaglione.

Serves 10 to 14.

Cook's note: Grappa, "grape stalk," is a brandy made by distilling grape skins left over from the winemaking process.

Nutrition values per serving: 280 calories, 9 g fat (4.5 g saturated), 42 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 7 g protein, 85 mg cholesterol, 115 mg sodium.

"The Spiaggia Cookbook" by Tony and Cathy Mantuano (2004 Chronicle Books, $40)

Doughnut Pancakes

5 glazed doughnuts (any brand)

2 eggs

#188; cup confectioner's sugar

¿ cup milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons flour

#189; teaspoon salt

Roughly chop doughnuts. Put doughnuts, milk, eggs and powdered sugar in a blender and blend until smooth (about 1 minute). Add flour, baking powder and salt to the blender. Pulse until combined.

Cook pancakes on a greased skillet as you would a typical pancake.

Makes 12 small pancakes.

Nutrition values per pancake: 410 calories, 20 g fat (6 g saturated), 46 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 10 g protein, 115 mg cholesterol, 740 mg sodium.

Chef Ben Roche, Moto Restaurant, Chicago

Puff Puff Doughnuts

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 package (2#188; teaspoon) instant or active dry yeast

#189; cup granulated sugar

#189; teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup hot water (120 to 130 degrees), or as needed

Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Granulated sugar for coating (about 1 cup)

To make the dough: In a large bowl stir together the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and nutmeg. Add 1 cup hot water and stir with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes to make a smooth, thick batter; gradually add more hot water as necessary. (This is a very wet dough, not one that you can knead.) Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature until it has almost tripled in bulk and is full of bubbles, about 1#189; hours.

To cook: Pour about 3 inches of oil into a large heavy pot and attach a deep-fry thermometer to the side of the pot or use a digital thermometer. Bring the oil to between 360 and 370 degrees over medium-high heat. Line a large baking sheet with several layers of paper towels. Put the sugar for coating in a small bowl.

Set a bowl of cool water near the bowl of risen dough. Dip your hand into the water, pinch off a walnut-sized piece of dough and carefully add it to the oil. Working rapidly, form 7 more puffs this way. Cook 5-8 minutes, or until the puffs are well browned and cooked through. Cut into one to make sure. Use a long-tined meat fork to turn and spin the puffs in the oil once they've puffed and have begun to brown on one side; keep the balls of dough rotating rapidly.

When the balls are evenly browned and cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the paper towels to drain. Put the balls into the bowl of sugar and roll them about to coat with sugar. Set them on a baking sheet to cool completely.

Shape and cook the remaining dough making sure to monitor the temperature of the oil so it doesn't get too hot or too cool. Serve as soon as possible.

Makes 40 to 48 puffs.

Cook's note: These are puffy, chewy, spicy and sweet. Leftovers can be refrigerated up to 1 day and then reheated briefly in a microwave.

Nutrition values per puff: 45 calories, 1 g fat (0 saturated), 8 g carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 1 g protein, 0 cholesterol, 25 mg sodium.

"A Baker's Odyssey" by Greg Patent (2007 John Wiley Sons, Inc., $34.95)