Doughnuts - Untitled

I love donuts*.  Ten years ago, there were only a small handful of bakeries that had been around for years and years that made donuts.  In the past five years or so, there has been a donut explosion.  Most of the places that have opened up in the past few years have reflected the rise in foodie culture in the Cities.  Places like Mojo Monkey, and Glam Doll have taken the humble donut and filled them with things like mocha cream, or topped them with peanut butter, sriracha glaze.  They are good to be sure, but in my mind in order for a donut shop to be any good, they have to have high quality plain cake and raised donuts.  Cake donuts should be a little sweet, but not make me race for coffee.  They should have a very slightly crunchy exterior with a soft, tender crumb inside.  Bonus points for a bit of spice inside.  Raised donuts should not shy away from their bready ancestory.  They should be a little chewy and also not hit me over the head with sweetness.  The exterior crust shouldn't be too crunchy and the interior should provide a nice depth of flavor.

Matt Groening based this aspect of Homer on me.

I've got expectations with my donuts.  While I was looking forward to making donuts from the cook book, I wasn't going to hold my breath for something that really shines.

The recipe I'm using for donuts today doesn't have a title.  So presumably, they're donuts.  I've only ever made donuts once before, and those were ok.  The process was fun and the result was good enough, but I wouldn't call them good donuts.  The recipe was for raised donuts and were from Flour by Joanne Chang.  I wouldn't in a million years say that the recipe was bad because this is a fantastic cook book.  The experience left me wanting to try frying donuts again some time, so here we are.  Today instead of raised donuts, we're making cake donuts and we're turning to Mrs. Carl M. Green.  Wish us luck, Mrs. Green.

Writing as I cook here.  First impression:  Heck yeah!

We'll call that foreshadowing, or something.

New Book: Something from the Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950s America - UPDATED

A new food post will be coming in a few days.  I'll be making donuts for the second time and I'm pretty excited about it.  In the mean time, I am starting a new book from the library.  Something from the Oven:  Reinventing Dinner in 1950s America.  This should provide some good background and insight into the Ladies, their thoughts, and what kitchens were like sixty years ago.

Here's an excerpt from the introduction:

Hmong farmers in Minnesota

Perhaps now and then I'll post a link to a blog or article I find interesting or enjoy.  From Minnesota Public Radio comes this article about Hmong farmers around Minnesota.  We enjoy going to the farmers' markets in St. Paul and a majority of the produce stands there are run by Hmong families.  The Hmong are an ethnic group from southeast Asia that began coming to Minnesota after the Vietnam War and were probably an unknown people to the Ladies of Zion.  In the last couple decades, the Twin Cities have grown to have one of the largest Hmong communities in the nation, and have become all the better for it.

There are a couple recipes at the bottom of the article.  I may have to try them.  Enjoy!

Appetites: Hmong influence strong in Minnesota farmers markets

Bakery For Sale

I got the following email from my mom this morning.  The bakery in Moose Lake, MN is for sale.  I've got a soft spot in my heart for small town bakeries.  The donuts are usually simple and good, and there always seems to be a troupe of regular customers sharing stories and drinking their coffee.  I've stopped in here a small handful of times and was totally charmed.  Fancy and gourmet donuts like are found at Mojo Monkey and Glam Doll are great, but there's just something about simple, tried and true donuts that is hard to beat.  If we were ready for a complete change in lifestyle and Sarah or I had the first clue about running a business, we might consider it, but we aren't and we don't.  I just hope someone does.

Here's the email from my mom.

$30K for all the equipment, training to do the baking, all recipes, sit-down area, established customers, better in summer. open 7-3 in summer, 7-noon in winter. They need to hear from someone about a sale by the end of the month! (Yikes) I talked to her People here don't know they plan to close this Saturday. Owner is 72 and his wife and he are sweeties! They live in town and are involved in the community. 
Lindsey, you are an experienced cook, Aaron, you do a cooking blog and like doughnuts... Welllll? : ) 
Dean, Kari, Molly & Chris, Think about it. Or tell your friends this is a good gamble for an awesome home-town life. They have a posse of PT helpers already, who I'm sure want to continue with the job. I told her that I would send out some pix, so maybe I should put this on FB. What do you think?! Maybe pass this on to other people at Holden.
I am attaching photos for you to enjoy and be tempted. xxoo I know that I am tempted!!! If I didn't have a job waiting, I WOULD DO IT!!!
Burnell says he would put in the option of better coffee though, and maybe some snowshoes on the wall. Currently there are shelves with donated cookie jars from all over the town.
Mom

Anybody ready for their own personal culinary adventure?

Cookies - Fancy Chocolate Refrigerator Cookies

There's a taste of cultural history at the start of the Cookies section of the cook book; it is another poem.

A house should have a cookie jar,
For when it's half-past three,
And children hurry home from school
As hungry as can be,
There's nothing quite so splendid
In filling children up,
As spicy, fluffy ginger cakes,
And sweet milk in a cup.

A house should have a mother,
Waiting with a hug,
No matter what a boy brings home,
A puppy or a bug.
For children only loiter
When the bell rings to dismiss
If no one's home to greet them
With a cookie or a kiss!

Boy, if that doesn't just conjure up a picture of June Cleaver, I don't know what would.  I'll pass on a commentary on gender roles and sentimental conceptions of an idealized past.  That goes without saying.  What does need mentioning though is the whole ginger cakes bit.  Bleh.  If you're waiting with ginger cakes for your bug-toting boy, you'll be waiting for a long time.  I can't argue with cookies and kisses, though.

Cakes - Scripture Cake

As with the Breads section, the Cakes section (one of the longest sections of the books.  We're going to be eating a lot of cake over the course of this blog) opens with a little poem:

"With weights and measures just and true,
Oven of even heat
Well-buttered tin and quiet nerve,
Success will be complete."

Weights and measures?  Check.
Oven of even heat?  Check.
Well-buttered tin?  Check.
Quiet nerve?  It depends on what the boys are up to, but we'll check this one off too.
Success?  Erm... I'm not so confident.  We'll see what Amos, Nahum, Jeremiah, and Samuel have to say about it.