Clewed Up

DONUTSDecadent

CLEWED UP

with JO CLEWS

Iwas asked the question not long ago what I thought was my super power. Apparently we all have at least one and at the time I couldn’t answer. After some consideration I have decided that mine is being able to take a seemingly empty cupboard and create a meal for a bunch of mates to enjoy. Over the years that I have been cooking I have come to know what flavours and ingredients work together and what doesn’t. To say I am a bit of a 'fly by the seat of my pants' type cook is a pretty accurate description and most times this organic approach to constructing something edible is quite successful. Recipes, for me, are more of a suggestion than a rule, and to have that attitude and intuition about food only comes with practice and the confidence to just have a go regardless of the results. Sometimes it feels a bit like witchcraft when all the ingredients behave the way they are meant to and as if by magic an amazing thing is created. Maybe I should start carrying a wand and saying abracadabra a lot or perhaps just learn to ride a broom (some would say I already know how to do this). What I particularly like is when I can take a tried and true recipe and turn it into something else in this case the basic three ingredient scone recipe has now successfully been turned into donuts. A swish of my wand and 'abracadabra'. Now that’s a bit of magic right there. This basic combination of common pantry staples has been used as a light pastry dough for apple or apricot pies, golden syrup dumplings, the humble scone and now donuts. One of the things I like to try and do is encourage people to venture away from the good old stews, roasts and burnt bottom dampers, the type of things everyone knows how to cook, and try something a bit different. The smaller cast iron camp ovens make a remarkably good deep fryer when partially filled with cooking oil and heated over a gas or butane burner. So not only is the camp oven being utilised for a different way of cooking but the scone dough is as well. Let’s get started so you can wow your mates next time it’s your turn to make morning tea or dessert.

Decadent Donuts

Will make 8-12 donuts.

You will need: For the donuts:

2 cups self-raising flour 150ml pouring cream 150ml lemonade Generous sprinkle of cinnamon

1 cup caster sugar 2 tablespoons cinnamon

1 litre vegetable oil Small cast iron camp oven Clip lock lunch box Tongs Heat source, either gas or butane burner.

Place the cinnamon and sugar into the clip lock box, place the lid on and shake to mix. Pour oil into the camp oven and place over high heat for 10 minutes then reduce to low heat. Put the two cups of flour and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in all the cream and most of the lemonade, combine the ingredients with a knife until a stiff dough is formed, you may not need all the liquid to achieve this. Flour your hands so the dough won’t stick and break off slightly larger than golf ball size pieces. Roll into a ball and flatten, make a hole in the middle with your thumb and stretch the dough out to make a circle of dough with a hole in the middle of about 4-5cm diameter. Gently lay the donut into the hot oil and cook for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden brown. Remove from the hot oil and drain on some paper towel then place a couple in the box with the sugar and gently rotate the box so the sugar evenly coats the donut. I normally sacrifice the first donut and cut it in half once I think it is cooked just to make sure after it is removed from the oil it has cooked all the way through then continue cooking in batches of 3-4 until all the dough is used up. Tip - How to determine oil temperature? Drop a small piece of the dough into the hot oil and if it floats as soon as it hits the bottom of the pot the oil is ready. Be sure to keep the gas on low so the oil doesn’t get too hot and burn the donuts. Tip - Long donuts can be made by turning the piece of dough into a log and cooking the same as above. These can be sliced through the middle and filled with jam and cream. Tip - Donut balls can be made simply by breaking off a smaller than golf ball size piece of dough and rolling into a ball and cooking the same as above. Tip - Jam (without any chunks or seeds) or Nutella can be forced into the centre of the donut ball by using an old squeezy sauce bottle filled with slightly warm filling and the nozzle gently pushed into the donut and squeezed until it just starts coming back out the hole. Donuts can also have icing and sprinkles applied for just a little bit more magic. Enjoy.