Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook (29 page)

LIME DOUGHNUTS

THE DOUGH HERE IS A SPIN-OFF OF THE NO-KNEAD BRIOCHE
dough from our first book. Francisco Migoya, one of our favorite pastry chefs, told us about “millionaire’s brioche,” a recipe that uses twice the amount of butter as normal brioche. We were immediately inspired to increase the amount of butter in our no-knead brioche recipe, and the resulting doughnuts are light and tender with a texture that almost melts on your tongue. One of the great things about using no-knead dough here is that you can reroll it without any appreciable toughening. You do need to chill the dough between rolls, but that is a small price to pay for being able to use all of it. The lime glaze was inspired by a pre-dessert that we used to love at the now closed New York City restaurant Cello, headed up by chef Laurent Tourondel. It was a crackling mille-feuille with lime curd and a fresh lime consommé. The flavors were haunting, and we believe that these doughnuts are an apt tribute to that favorite dessert.

MAKES ABOUT 3 DOZEN

DOUGHNUT DOUGH

6½ cups 975 grams
all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon 1.5 grams
instant yeast

3½ teaspoons 20 grams
fine sea salt

½ cup 100 grams
sugar

8 large
eggs

1 cup 225 grams room-temperature
water

½ cup 130 grams
whole milk

2 pounds 900 grams
unsalted butter,
melted and cooled

LIME GLAZE

Scant 2¼ cups 250 grams
confectioners’ sugar

¼ cup 60 grams
cultured buttermilk
,
homemade or store-bought

4 teaspoons 20 grams
fresh lime juice

¼ teaspoon 1.5 grams
fine sea salt

Rice bran oil
or peanut oil, for frying

4
limes

MAKE THE DOUGH:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, and milk. Whisk in the butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until the liquid is absorbed and there are no dry clumps. The mixture will resemble muffin batter. It may look a little lumpy and slightly greasy, but be assured that all of the butter will be absorbed by the time the dough rises. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours.

Uncover the bowl and use a rubber spatula to gently loosen the dough from the bowl. Dampen your hands with cool water and slide one hand under one side of the dough. Fold that side of the dough into the center and press it down gently so it adheres to itself. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the folding process two more times. After the fourth fold, flip the dough over so the seams are on the bottom. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours, or overnight.

Uncover the bowl and repeat the folding procedure in the previous step. Put the dough onto a plastic wrap–lined baking sheet. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and pat the dough into a flattened dome. Refrigerate the dough until it is firm, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly dust them with flour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and dust a countertop lightly but evenly with flour. Turn the dough out onto the floured countertop and dust it with flour. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to a ⅜-inch (1 cm) thickness. Use additional flour if it begins to stick. Use a 3-inch (8 cm) doughnut cutter to cut out the doughnuts and put them onto the parchment-lined pans. Separate the holes from the doughnuts so they may be fried separately. Cover the pans loosely with plastic wrap and let the doughnuts proof for 1 hour. Gently ball up the trimmings from the doughnuts, put them in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until they firm up, at least 1 hour or up to 24. These trimmings may be rerolled to make additional doughnuts.

Pour 2 inches (5 cm) of oil into a large pot and heat it over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F (177°C). Set a wire rack over a baking sheet. Put 4 to 5 doughnuts at a time in the oil and cook for 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon or a spider to flip the doughnuts over and cook them for 1 minute on the other side. Flip one more time and cook for 1 minute more. The doughnuts should be golden brown. Use the slotted spoon to transfer the doughnuts from the oil to the rack to cool. Repeat to cook the remaining doughnuts. To cook the holes, put 12 into the oil at a time and cook for 45 seconds. Use the slotted spoon to turn the holes over and cook for 45 more seconds. Some of the holes may not flip, so use the slotted spoon to stir them in the oil so they cook evenly. Transfer the holes to the wire rack.

MAKE THE LIME GLAZE:
Put the confectioners’ sugar in a bowl and pour in the buttermilk, lime juice, and salt. Use a whisk to stir the mixture together until it forms a smooth glaze. Reserve at room temperature and whisk until smooth before using.

Dip one side of each doughnut into the glaze, then flip glaze side up and return to the cooling rack. Grate the zest of 3 of the limes over the glazed doughnuts. Once all the doughnuts are glazed, put the doughnut holes into the bowl with the glaze and grate the zest from the remaining lime into the bowl. Use a spoon to mix the holes in the glaze and evenly coat them. Transfer the holes to the wire rack and let the glaze harden. Serve once the glaze is firm to the touch, if you can wait that long.

JUST MIXED, BEFORE THE FIRST RISE

PROOFED AND READY TO FRY

LIME DOUGHNUT HOLES

KITTY’S STRAWBERRY PIE

HAND TARTS

CARAMEL APPLE PIE

GINGER TART

PRETZEL CARAMEL TART

SPICED PUMPKIN PIE

KITTY’S STRAWBERRY PIE

WHAT MAKES THIS PIE EXCEPTIONALLY DELICIOUS IS THE
combination of cooked and raw strawberries. The recipe is a riff on the strawberry pie that Alex’s grandma Kitty used to make every Easter when he was growing up. A blend of cornstarch and tapioca starch gel the cooked strawberry juices so that they are just thick enough to hold everything together without getting gummy or chewy; fresh strawberries lend their aroma and flavor when you bite into the pie. And fresh lemon juice helps balance all that sweet strawberry goodness. It’s pretty special.

MAKES ONE 9-INCH / 23 CM PIE

½ recipe
Pie Dough

2 quarts> 1,200 grams
strawberries,
preferably organic

¾ cup> 150 grams
sugar

¼ teaspoon> 1.5 grams
fine sea salt

2 tablespoons> 12 grams
tapioca starch

1 tablespoon> 7 grams
cornstarch

2 tablespoons> 28 grams
cold water

1 tablespoon> 15 grams
fresh lemon juice
(from ½ lemon)

Whipped cream,
for serving

Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roll the pie dough into a round 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter and line a 9-inch (23 cm) pie pan. Trim the edge so that there is a 1-inch (2.5 cm) overhang. Roll the overhang inward and tuck underneath the top edge so that it forms a log all the way around the pie pan. Crimp the edges by squeezing the dough gently between your thumb and forefinger, moving them all the way around the pan, and pierce the bottom a few times with a fork. Put the pie shell in the freezer while the oven preheats.

Once the oven is hot, take the pie shell from the freezer and put it on the baking sheet. Put a piece of parchment paper inside the crust, fill it with pie weights, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the pie weights, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°F), and bake until the crust is a light golden brown on the bottom, about 30 minutes. Let the pie crust cool completely at room temperature before using.

Divide the strawberries into 2 piles, one half with the prettiest berries. Halve the prettier berries lengthwise and arrange them, cut side down, in the prebaked pie shell. Put the sugar and salt in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Meanwhile, quarter the second batch of less beautiful strawberries. When the sugar becomes an amber caramel, carefully add the quartered strawberries. Cook, stirring, until the sugar melts and the mixture comes to a simmer. In a small bowl, mix the tapioca, cornstarch, and cold water together and then pour the slurry into the strawberries. Stir the berries as they come back up to temperature and cook until the mixture thickens and becomes glossy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool to room temperature.