Warm Crispy-Creamy Chocolate “Doughnuts”

Name: Warm Crispy-Creamy Chocolate “Doughnuts”
Yield: serves 4 on it¿s own or 8 as part of fourplay
Ingredients: 144g cold water; 3g sodium alginate; 87g heavy cream; 65g water; 12g sugar; 9g Methocel A16-SG; 146g bittersweet chocolate (preferably Valrhona Manjari 64% cacao), chopped; 143g alginate base; 1.5g coarse salt; (makes 30 mini doughnuts); 1,000g water; 20g calcium lactate; 100g panko; 0.5g coarse salt; 1 large egg; 1 large egg yolk; 12g all-purpose flour; Canola oil for frying; Fleur de sel

December 9, 2011

Industrial technology is making its way more and more into the pastry kitchen and allowing us to create new textures. Here, the “doughnuts” are made with a creamy ganache. The alginate and lactate work to maintain the shape of the doughnuts, and the Methocel prevents the ganache from running while they fry. The result is a warm creamy ganache encased in a super-crisp panko coating. Having a scale is essential for this recipe.

Cooks' Note

You can freeze the doughnuts at any point in the process, but it may make the most sense to freeze them after you’ve breaded them. Keep any doughnuts that you don’t plan to fry immediately on a rack set over a pan (don’t cover them). Freeze for 2 hours, then transfer the frozen doughnuts to a freezer bag. They will keep for about 1 month. Don’t defrost before frying.

Recipe notes

Caramelized Onion Pasta

Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.

Our Favorite French Onion Soup

Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.

Béchamel Sauce

This classic 15-minute sauce is your secret weapon for homemade mac and cheese, chowder, lasagna, and more.

Golden Mushroom Soup With Orzo & a Pat of Butter

This is the type of soup that, at first glance, might seem a little…unexciting. But you’re underestimating the power of mushrooms, which do the heavy lifting.

Vodka Gochujang Pasta

This pasta has some really big energy about it. It’s so extra, it’s the type of thing you should be eating in your bikini while drinking a magnum of rosé, not in Hebden Bridge (or wherever you live), but on a beach on Mykonos.

Smothered Italian Sausage

This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.

White Bean Turkey Chili

A dash of cocoa powder adds depth and richness to the broth of this easy turkey chili.

Crème Anglaise

The silky French vanilla sauce that goes with everything.