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5A Wednesday, February 6, 2013 – Daily News County Fare & tasty fresh Make your own cake doughnuts A few weeks into January, and my New Year's resolution to eat oatmeal every morning has already gone out the window. But since my other resolution is to live without regrets, I'm certainly not going to punish myself for frying up a delicious batch of cardamom-spiced cake doughnuts over the weekend. Although I'll never turn down a yeast-raised doughnut, I prefer doughnuts leavened with baking powder and baking soda. Yeast doughnuts have a light, bubbly crumb, the result of large air pockets that form during fermentation. Cake doughnuts are dense, sweet, and a little bit crumbly — just like cake. It doesn't hurt that cake doughnuts can be made on impulse and cooked off right away, while yeast-raised doughnuts can take hours to rise. What real doughnuts, whether yeast-raised or cake-style, have in common: They're always deep-fried, never baked. Making cake doughnut dough is as simple as mixing dry and wet ingredients. For a tender result, take care not to overmix the dough, and roll it out quickly and gently. To shape cake doughnuts, you'll need a doughnut cutter, which you can find near the cookie cutters at a housewares shop. You'll also need a deep pot and the courage to fry. Choose a bland vegetable oil with a high smoking point, the temperature at which oil begins to break down. Safflower and canola oil are both good picks. For safety's sake, make sure your pot is no more than halfway full of oil. Attach a deep-fat thermometer to the side. Heat the oil to 375 degrees. Don't drop the doughnuts into the pot. Lower them carefully with tongs or a slotted spoon to avoid spattering. MCT photo To coat doughnuts completely with confectioners' sugar, shake them with the sugar inside a brown paper lunch bag. Add 2 doughnuts, shake gently to coat, and transfer to a platter. Repeat with remaining doughnuts and doughnut holes. When the doughnuts are added to the oil, it should drop in temperature to about 360 degrees, which is just right. Cook only a few at a time, checking the oil temperature during cooking and before you add a new batch, and adjusting the flame as necessary. Use a slotted spoon or frying basket to transfer them to a paper towel-lined rack to drain and cool. Make sure the paper towels are far from the flame. Finishing your cake doughnuts is a matter of preference. For some people, nothing is more delicious than a naked doughnut fresh from the fryer. If this is you, wait 5 minutes to allow the doughnuts to cool and drain. If eaten immediately, they will still be doughy inside. As they cool slightly, they will cook to completion. If you like some crunchy sweetness, coat your doughnuts in sugar while they are still warm, let them cool, then coat them again. Wait until the doughnuts are completely cooled to coat them in confectioners' sugar, or the sugar will melt. Likewise, glaze doughnuts (use 1 cup of confectioners' sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons milk) only after they have come to room temperature. CARDAMOMSPICED SOUR CREAM CAKE DOUGHNUTS Vegetable oil for frying 2 cups unbleached allpurpose flour 1⁄2 cup sugar 1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground cardamom 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1⁄2 cup sour cream, room temperature 2 tablespoons milk 1 large egg, room temperature 1 cup confectioners' sugar (optional) 1. Pour 2 to 3 inches of oil into a deep pot or large Dutch oven. The oil Trying to replace the Twinkie shouldn't fill more than half of the pot. Attach a thermometer to the side of the pan so it dips into the oil. Heat over medium until it reaches 375 degrees. Set wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Place two layers of paper towels on top of rack. 2. While the oil heats, combine the flour, sugar, cardamom, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix on low with an electric mixer until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add sour cream, milk and egg, and mix until a dough forms. 3. Roll dough to 1⁄4inch thickness. Use doughnut cutter to cut into 12 doughnuts and 12 doughnut holes. Fry doughnuts in oil, 3 or 4 at a time, turning once, until golden on both sides. Transfer cooked doughnuts to rack to drain and cool. Repeat with remaining doughnuts and holes, monitoring oil carefully and adjusting heat to maintain a cooking temperature of 360 degrees. 4. Place confectioners' sugar in a brown paper bag. Add 2 doughnuts, shake gently to coat, and transfer to a platter. Repeat with remaining doughnuts and doughnut holes. Serve immediately. Makes 12 doughnuts and 12 doughnut holes. Chicago Tribune (MCT) We taste-tested five golden-cake, cream-filled substitutes, ranging from the Walgreen house brand to a Canadian import sold by Jewel-Osco. Cakes were rated on a scale of 1 to 5; 5 being sublime and 1 being on par with cardboard. As a control, we asked our taste-testers to think of a Twinkie as a 3. Nice! Sponge Cake Walgreens, $1.29 for two-pack Average score: 1.4 Comment: Where did the "cream filling" go? The Snack Artist Creme Cake Safeway, $2.99 for box of 10 Average score: 2.6 Comment: Even has cream injection marks on bottom. Cloud Cakes Little Debbie, $3.09 for 10 Average score: 2.8 Comment: Cream filling, consistency and texture OK. Vachon Golden Sponge Cakes Saputo, sold at Jewel-Osco, $3.49 for a box of six Average score: 3 Comment: Swayed by the chocolate — is that fair? Great Value Golden Creme Cakes Wal-Mart, $2.38 for 10 Average score: 2.6 Comment: Good filling, homemade taste. Two yolks are rarer than one By Kathleen Purvis The Charlotte Observer (MCT) Q: I was making muffins and broke an egg that had two yolks. I hadn't seen that in years. How rare is that and doesn't it have some superstition attached? A: Double-yolk eggs usually are laid by young hens, whose reproductive cycles are still normalizing, although some chicken breeds tend toward them in the same way twins might run in a human family. They occur naturally about once in 1,000 eggs. Since so many eggs are laid daily, that's not particularly rare. But you see them less often in supermarket eggs these days because those are inspected by weight and by light, called candling. Double-yolks usually are pulled to be used in egg products. You're more likely to see them at home in eggs bought directly from a farmer. Superstitions connected to double-yolk eggs cover a wide range. Some traditions think they mean someone in the family will get pregnant or have twins, or that they mean prosperity. Other traditions blame them for bad luck and think they predict a death in the family. WE ACCEPT FOOD STAMPS WE FEATURE BLACK CANYON ANGUS BEEF 8049 Hwy 99E, Los Molinos, CA NO CARDS REQUIRED FOR EVERYDAY LOW PRICING OR SALE ITEMS We appreciate your business - and we show it! HOURS: 7AM - 9 PM DAILY Prices good February 6 thru 12, 2013 Fryer Breasts USDA Choice, USDA Choice, Boneless, Beef T-Bone Center Cut or Porterhouse Pork Loin Chops Steaks 699 $ 199 $ Smoked Beef Rump Roast Ham Hocks Black Tiger Prawns (16-20 count) 299 $ 229 $ lb. lb. 384-1563 Meat Specials We Accept EBT Fresh, Boneless, Skinless CUSTOM CUT MEATS AT NO EXTRA CHARGE "Your Family Supermarket" 199 799 $ lb. lb. $ lb. lb. Produce Specials Large, Juicy, Fresh Russet Slicing Asparagus Potatoes Clementine Tangerines Tomatoes 5 lb. bag Cameo Apples 3 lb. bag American or Italian Salad 10-12 oz. VOTING IS UNDERWAY! 399 99¢ 149 $ ea. lb. $ CoffeeMate Coffee Creamer Bar-S Bologna Tillamook Cheese 16oz. 2 lb. loaf Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits 400 $ Pillsury IGA Cinnamon Vegetables 14.5-15.25oz Rolls cans or 8 ct. 32oz. Crescent Rolls 349 $ 8ct. 300 $899 $ 2 for 500 $ 3 for 400 $ 2 for IGA Real Mayonnaise IGA Salad Dressing IGA Pickles IGA Soup 30oz. 16oz. 24oz. jar 26oz. can 300 $ 4 for 7-Up or RC Cola 12 pks 3 for 10+crv $ Five Lucky Voters will be selected at random from all eligible ballots on March 1. Each will receive a 2 for lb. lb. Grocery Specials Vote for your favorite Tehama County Businesses! Online Ballots Only at www.redbluffdailynews.com 99¢ 159 $ 00 2 Liters 299 199 $ $ 179 $ 3 for 4 +crv Bud Light Lime or Platinum $ 189 $ Buds, Coors, Natural or Keystone Beer or MGD Beer 00 $100 Shopping Spree at the Tehama County business of their choice! 12 packs 899 $ +crv 18 packs 1099 $ +crv 12 packs 1099 $ Find us on Facebook! facebook.com/nuwaymarket +crv