New Sweets of Lawson Japan

 

 

 

 

Jelly Doughnuts: How to Make the Ultimate Hanukkah Pastry

Katie Workman wrote . . . . . . . . .

Jelly doughnuts, also known as sufganiyot, have become a classic Hanukkah treat, one of a number of foods fried in oil that are popular on the holiday ( latkes, or potato pancakes, are another).

They’re doughnuts without a central hole, fried and stuffed with jelly or jam. In Israel, jelly doughnuts for Hanukkah are especially popular, and are sometimes filled with chocolate or halvah too. They also can be prepared in savory versions, stuffed with meat or vegetables.

The story goes that over 2,000 years ago, after the Second Temple of Jerusalem was ransacked by invaders, there was only enough oil to keep the temple candles lit for one day and night. Inexplicably, the oil burned for eight days and eight nights, a feat now celebrated as Hanukkah, the eight-day “festival of lights.” (This year, Hanukkah begins on Sunday evening, Dec. 18.)

There are two ways to fill jelly doughnuts. You can fill them before frying (the jelly is sandwiched between two disks of yeast dough, sealed and fried). Or you can fry them first and then inject them with filling, which is what I do here. This technique removes the risk of not-properly-sealed doughnuts coming apart in the pan and leaking their filling.

The traditional yeast dough used to make doughnuts requires two risings, one for the ball of dough itself and the other for the shaped doughnuts before they are fried. Both risings are necessary for light and fluffy doughnuts.

You can use any type of jam you like; strawberry and raspberry jelly are popular.

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JELLY DOUGHNUTS

Serves 16

1 (.25-ounce) package active dry yeast or 1 tablespoon dry yeast
3/4 cup warm milk (about 100° F)
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg and 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2-1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, mace or cinnamon
Vegetable oil for frying
3/4 cup jam or jelly, any flavor

For the Coating:

1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

* * * * * * * * *

Generously flour a clean work surface and lightly oil a medium-size bowl.

In a large bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer, add the warm milk, then sprinkle the yeast over the milk. Using an electric mixer, or the dough hook for a standing mixer, stir to dissolve and allow it to sit until it gets foamy, about 10 minutes. Add the butter, salt and sugar, and stir or blend to combine. Blend in the egg and egg yolk, then beat in 2 cups of the flour. Beat until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, then beat in another ½ cup of the remaining flour plus the nutmeg, mace or cinnamon.

When the batter has formed into a cohesive ball, turn it onto the floured work surface and knead the dough for two minutes. Add more flour as needed if the dough feels too sticky. Form the dough into a ball, and place in the oiled bowl. Cover with a dishtowel or plastic wrap and let sit in a warm, draft-free place until the dough has doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Clean and re-flour your work surface. Turn the dough onto the floured surface and roll it out with a floured rolling pin to a ½-inch thickness.

With a 3-inch biscuit or cookie cutter, cut as many rounds as you can, minimizing the space between each round. Gather the scraps, let them sit for another 15 minutes, then roll the dough out again, and cut as many more circles as possible. Place the circles on a very lightly floured baking sheet with a couple of inches between each doughnut, cover with a clean dishtowel or loose plastic wrap, and let sit for about 1 hour, until they are quite puffy, about 1 inch thick.

About 15 minutes before you are going to fry the doughnuts, place paper towels on a clean surface. Make the sugar coating: In a shallow bowl, mix together the 1 cup sugar with the cinnamon. And pour at least 2 inches of oil into a deep skillet or pan. Heat to 375° F over medium heat.

Use a spatula to transfer two or three doughnuts into the pan. They will rise and bob on the surface; fry for about 1 minute, until golden brown on the underside, then flip them and cook until the second side is golden brown, another 1 to 2 minutes. You can occasionally gently press the doughnuts down into the oil to cook the sides evenly. Remove the doughnuts, allowing excess oil to drain back into the pan, and let them rest for a minute on the paper towels.

Then place them in the bowl with the sugar coating and turn to coat completely.

Use a chopstick or wooden dowel to poke a hole into the side of each doughnut, and as you slide it in, give it a wiggle to create a small pocket in the center of the doughnut. Fill a pastry bag or sturdy plastic bag with the jelly. If you are using a plastic bag, cut a very small triangle from one of its bottom corners. Insert the pastry bag or snipped corner of the plastic bag into the hole on the side of the doughnut. Gently squeeze a couple of teaspoons of jelly into the middle of the doughnut. Remove the bag carefully from the doughnut, and repeat until all the doughnuts are filled.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Source: AP

 

 

 

 

Japanese Sweets (Wagashi)

The Art of the Five Senses

 

 

 

 

Exercise Is Medicine for Cancer and Every Dose Counts – Even in Late Stages of the Disease

It is well-known exercise has many benefits, but new Edith Cowan University (ECU) research has revealed just how critically important it can be – even for people with advanced cancer.

Previous work from ECU’s Exercise Medicine Research Institute has shown men with advanced prostate cancer can change the chemical environment of their body over six months of exercise training to suppress growth of cancer cells.

The team observed increased levels of proteins called ‘myokines’ which are produced by skeletal muscles and can suppress tumour growth and even help actively fight cancerous cells by stimulating a range of anti-cancer processes in the body.

But a new EMRI study has shown a single bout of exercise can elevate myokines even further and induce additional cancer suppression.

Importantly, this exercise induced medicine occurs in patients with incurable, advanced cancer where the disease has well and truly taken hold and patients have already received extensive treatment over many years.

Nine patients with late-stage prostate cancer performed 34 minutes of high intensity exercise on a stationary cycle, with blood serum collected immediately before and after, and then again 30 minutes post-workout.

The team found the serum obtained immediately after this “dose” of exercise contained elevated levels of anti-cancer myokines resulting in suppressed growth of prostate cancer cells in vitro by around 17 per cent.

Serum myokine levels and cancer suppression returned to baseline after 30 minutes.

EMRI researcher and study supervisor Professor Rob Newton said it was a breakthrough moment in exercise oncology.

“The findings from our work are particularly exciting because we report for the first time ever that men with advanced prostate cancer are able to produce an acute elevation in anti-cancer molecules called myokines in response to a single bout of vigorous exercise,” he said.

“This is helping us to understand why patients with cancer who exercise exhibit slower disease progression and survive for longer.”

“These patients are palliative, so there is no cure and they will eventually succumb – however, there is evidence that exercise will extend survival and the increased myokine levels explored in our recent paper is a prime mechanism.”

Professor Newton said while there is much research still to be done, the results of this study could help shape the advice given to cancer patients immediately.

“The optimal dose of exercise is not yet known, but it is likely to be 20-plus minutes each day and must include resistance training to grow the muscles, increase the size and capacity of the internal pharmacy, and stimulate the myokine production,” he said.

“This study provides strong evidence for the recommendation patients with prostate cancer, and likely anybody with any cancer type, should perform exercise most days, if not every day, to maintain a chemical environment within their body which is suppressive of cancer cell proliferation.”

‘Acute effect of high-intensity interval aerobic exercise on serum myokine levels and resulting tumour-suppressive effect in trained patients with advanced prostate cancer’ was published in Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases.

Source: Australia Edith Cowan University

 

 

 

 

Cranberry Meringue Pie

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups cranberries
1 tbsp flour
2 eggs, separated
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 deep pie crust, baked

Method

1. On the stovetop, cook sugar and water to a syrup. Add cranberries and simmer until berries have popped. Let cool a little.
2. In a bowl, whisk together flour and egg yolks. Slowly add three tablespoons of the cranberry syrup to the bowl, whisking constantly. Add mixture to the berries and simmer for three minutes.
3. Stir in butter and vanilla, let cool. Whip egg whites and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.
4. Pour filling into baked pie crust and cover with meringue. Place pie in a 200°F oven to set and slightly brown the meringue, five to 10 minutes.

Makes 1 pie.

Source: The Wunnipwg Free Press

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