Doughnuts, Circles Of Sweetness

Doughnuts are the ultimate comfort food.One and a cup of coffee are a worker's best friends after a mind dazing day.They've kept our servicemen alert and the broken hearted happy for years with all have our favorites from cakey baked kind to the yeasty fried kind. Ligaya Mishin wrote about and had the lucky job of tasting doughnuts( a surprising seventy-seven!!!) in today's New York Times Dining section. Doughnuts are one of the oldest pastries mankind has, being first made 8,000 years ago.Archeaologists have found fossilized ring cakes during various digs.New York City had it's first doughnut or as it was known then olykoek sold by Anna Joralemon in 1673 from a shop located on lower Broadway.Doughnuts were given to our doughboys a century ago during World War One.the doughnut has had several reincarnations over the last few years.The recipe has omitted butter and eggs for vegans, compromising it's fluffy texture.Some are now baked as opposed to fried.A few Manhattan shops will make them fresh so doughnut connoisseurs can enjoy them red hot ,while other serve doughnuts with syringes as a DIY jelly doughnut for customers.This last, made by St. Balmain gives doughnut lovers the choice of cream, jam or chocolate.Flavors are changing too.Some do serve cinnamon.Others are experimenting with everything from sriracha to Thai basil and coconut milk.Fillings for jellies aren't just raspberry jam anymore either.Some are filled with real fruit preserves along with Meyer lemon. Ms Mishin sampled some of these along with others from well known bakeries and upstarts.East Harlem's Dough Loco are lopsided and mishapened (imagine Salvador Dali baking them)'yet they have the truest taste and texture.One has a Los colored bright orange icing, giving the doughnut the look of a bagel with the works.The icing is really. blood orange and it has a nice tartness that counterbalances the pastry's sweetness.Carvin"s Bakery has the most unusual flavors with peanut butter and cream cheese along crumbled Oreos and even bacon bits! she also went international , trying the Greek loukoumades and the Korean ho-dduk which is more a pocket filled with liquified brown sugar.Ms. Mishan also includes a doughnut recipe for home bakers.It's adopted from Du Jour"s bakery recipe and is the most traditional.The dough should be made in a standard mixer with a dough hook.They are yeast based so expect the finished product to be fluffy.Adding to that are six eggs and these will give the interiors a rich yellow coloring The doughnuts are then fried in vegetable oil and then rolled in granulated sugar.You can even fry the holes too.These would make great snacks for the kids.nIf you want, sift in some cinnamon to create the ones you buy at farm stands or at farmers markets. Doughnuts are the eternal comfort food. A chewy, yeasty one is better than any box ox chocolates or cup of chai tea. Enjoy one with a strong cu p of Joe to appreciate their goodness and flavor.

Your Food Your Heritage

There's a sure way of connecting anyone to his or her heritage and culture: food. The dishes our grandparents , great grandparents and ancestors brought with them from other countries are visual reminders that our past is always with us. They are not only our comfort foods but part of us.

This was a subject of an article in today's new York Times Dining section, The piece written by newcomer,Rachel L. Swarns tells about how certain families, including hers , preserve their heritage with handed down recipes. She is from the Bahamas, a  country rich in natural food resources.. Like Marcel Proust and his Madeleine's , its' the taste that reminds her of that balmy paradise . It's the tang of limes or the sweetness's of coconuts candy , homemade  and fresh. To be honest we all have good memories of family recipes. There's also a certain thrill in making them, knowing this is a direct link and even some insight into our family's world.

Ms. Swarns reached out to several children and grandchildren of immigrants. There were a variety of nationalities and sometimes she was lucky to speak with three generations. Some people made their family recipes with an American twist, updating it for their children. This was the case of Nena Vukanic, the daughter of Serbian immigrants. Her children like some of the family recipes like the bean soup. They nixed the stuffed cabbage. Others families interviewed were three generations of Korean family. The six year old daughter , Minah, who is half American too, loved all the dishes her mom Jo Hee Sisco and her grandmother Sook Lee made.Sometimes the family dishes often wound up along side of American classics on the dinner plate.

Who we are means everything to us. That includes our culinary heritage. Our ancestors not only gave us interesting sets of DNA and RNA but also interesting recipes too.

Truffles American Style

Truffles have always been a European treat.Legendary here and the dream of may gourmets and foodies alike , this fungi was imported at exorbitant prices. However that's all changing. It's now being cultivated in North America- with hopefully lower prices.

Dining section newcomer, Nick Czap explored this new territory on the American eating scene in yesterday's New York Times. He found that truffles are not only being grown in Italy's Piemonte  but now in Oregon.The state is home to four kinds of the delicious fungi: the Oregon black truffle, the Oregon winter white, the Oregon spring white and the rare Oregon brown truffle. The black truffle variety emits an aroma of pineapple and dark chocolate combined, while the white and brown have a more pungent smell , a mix of sulphur and ripe cheeses. While Europeans have been hunting truffles for centuries, Oregon's quest is relatively new starting with the great chef ,James Beard , promoting it, as late as 1977

There is also a unique difference between American and Italian harvesting techniques. Truffles have long been sniffed and snuffled out by dogs and pigs.(Italian law mandates that only dogs can now sniff out the mushroom). The US uses search  rescue dogs, from papillons to Labs along with Newfoundlands and Beaucerons to  to find the delicacy. Any canine can be trained to be a truffle dog. He or she just has to withstand the conditions which are sometimes cold and always damp.

Truffles have always been the domain of European gourmets. yet that is changing. With more foodies discovering the Oregon genuses, there will be more need for the home grown variety. It also means more American born dogs will turn into truffle hounds too - a good thing for truffle lovers.

Tons Of Tomatoes

August is the times for tomatoes. Nothing says summer more than a ripe red beauty bursting with juice and flavor. Not only are these good on their own with a sprinkle of sea salt, they amazing in a variety of recipes. Any kind from cherry to beefsteak is  the best ingredient in any summer meal!

Lush tomatoes were the subject of an article written by the Dining section's regular Melissa Clark in today's New York Times food section. She has many good recipes for what has turned out to be a bumper crop for Summer 2012. Thanks to perfect weather situations, from good temps to no flooding, these delicious gems are in abundance. You can have them anyway from the traditional pasta sauces to tasty salads.What's even better is that there are so many different kinds out there now  from the small  plump cherry to the hearty  beefsteaks.

Ms. Clark goes for the usual route with them  - salad - but with a twist. She offers up a Caesar salad full of cherry tomatoes. This also includes a nice mix of garlic  , anchovies and Parmesan along with romaine lettuce. It;s a wonderful blend of brininess from the anchovies to the tomatoes sugary sweetness. She also has a fig and tomato salad, with a sprinkling of blue cheese. It's an interesting combo, perfect for a summer barbecue. The best recipe, though, is her bread salad,. This is a favorite
,that she makes with country bread(I would use Italian and French though for more chewiness and flavor) She a;so adds Spanish sausage for crunch and a spice along with a Spanish onion. This would make just a nice dinner by itself.

It 's the season of tomatoes. Use them anyway you want. However they're heavenly in a good salad, where their flavor can shine!