And Now Apple Cider Doughnuts

 After all the cooking it's time to look to baking - leisurely baking. Think the fall classic apple cider doughnut. They're a perfect snack and a fresh break from all that pie.

Erin Jeanne McDowell, author of Let's Bake A Pie!  and creator of the  baking blog Erin Jeanne McDowell wrote about these gems plus gave the recipe in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. what is great about her recipe is that the doughnuts are baked and not fried. They're more like little cakes, without the usual greasy doughnut aftertaste.Cinnamon lovers will love this recipe as well. Two teaspoons of cinnamon along with a half a teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg (you can find whole nuts in your grocery's spice section) is added to the batter. You can also add other fall spices like ginger, clove and cardamon for a more flavorful bite.Cider is used but Ms. McDowell recommends boiling it first to reduce it to a maple syrup like consistency. Doing this gives the doughnuts a more concentrated apple flavor. Just use one and a half cup of cider and reduce it down to one half cup. Remember to cool it down before using. Of course doughnuts need a coating of some kind of sugar. Ms. McDowell lets the freshly baked rings settle for a minute or two in the pan before releasing them. They're  brushed with melted butter and then dredged in a mix of cinnamon and sugar. You could use powdered sugar as they do at farms. That's your decision.

You can use a six doughnut baking pan but you can also use a twelve cup muffin tin that can be converted into a doughnut pan. Take a four by four piece of aluminum foil and bend gently around your middle finger. Remove your finger and press the foil in the muffin cup.Use a non stick cooking spray (and not butter or margarine) to grease the pan and then flour it.It's then sifting all the dry ingredients including the cinnamon and baking powder given for lift.. One stick of butter is also used, mixed with light brown and granulated sugars. Two large eggs are also added along with one teaspoon of vanilla extract. Dry and wet ingredients are mixed together then carefully spooned into the doughnut pan about two thirds full. Ms McDowell also suggests using a disposable piping bag or a reusable plastic bag  with a half inch opening cut from one corner). Bake until evenly golden or until a toothpick inserted in the thickest portion of one comes out clean, twelve to fifteen minutes baking in a 350 degree F oven.Muffin tin doughnuts takes longer , about fifteen to twenty minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through. It's then letting the doughnuts settle and brushing them with melted butter before dredging. Again you can use the cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar. 

Apple cider doughnuts are a nice alternative to all the holiday pies and sweets. Even better they baked for a fluffy flavor. Make them today for a tasty snack with a hot cup of coffee and tea.

Fish And Chips The Perfect Friday Meal.

One of the benefits of a Lenten diet Is eating more fish.Mostly many go for the safe and sensible kinds of grilled salmon and seared scallops. However – there is one dish that defines a fish dinner – fish and chips. That East End favorite is a great Friday night meal.

Mention fish and chips and images of London come to mind. Many ,including us Yanks, think it’s the quintessential British food. It actually isn’t, first arriving in Britain with the Sephardic Jews around the 1600’s. The influence was the Portuguese pescado frito, deep batter fried fillets which the Jews cooked on Friday night to eat on their Sabbath – Saturday. Potatoes didn’t come into the mix until the Columbian Exchange of 1492. Fish  - mostly cod and sliced spuds were the food of the working classes throughout coastal Britain. Charles Dickens was the firs t to mention chips in his 1859 masterpiece A Tale Of Two Cities. A year later the first fish and chips eatery or chippy opened in London.They were first sold and still are sold in old newspapers with a good dousing of malt vinegar. The Americans discovered it thanks to the seafood companies of Mrs Paul’s and Gorton’s, however their offerings are a pale imitation of the real thing.They have what’s known as fish fingers  - which are fish sticks while the real deal is huge triangular pieces of plaice a type of North Atlantic fish.

Fish and chips is a relatively easy dish to make. You do need a  fryer however a regular skillet will work just fine.  Use the oven for a healthier version.Start off with the potatoes. They need to be fried first. Russet potatoes are the bet choice for the chips. Peel them and cut them into fries the size of your index finger. First fry them for only two or three minutes then remove from the hot oil. Let them drain thoroughly. Now it’s time for the fish, Combine flour and baking powder along with salt and pepper. One cup of milk and one egg are also added to create a batter. Let the mixture stand for a good twenty minutes. Dredge the fillets in  this until they are thoroughly coated and fry in preheated oil. (you can use the oil from the potatoes) When the fish is frying, add the chips for the last five minutes  until all are golden and crispy. Malt vinegar is the condiment of choice however it is a bit eye opening if you haven't had it before.Ketchup and tartar sauce are your best bet. For a true English experience serve it with mushy peas  - mashed peas with butter and cream.

Get your Brit on with homemade fish and chips. It's a tasty and fun meal for a Lenten Friday night supper. Make it and enjoy a taste of the United Kingdom.