Got Leftover Ricotta? Make Chai-Spiced Doughnuts

Yahoo Food Recipes

Every week, we spotlight a different food blogger who’s shaking up the blogosphere with tempting recipes and knockout photography. Below, Sonali Ghosh of Sugar et al. highlights an extraordinarily tasty use for leftover ricotta cheese: doughnuts!

image

Photo: Sonali Ghosh

By Sonali Ghosh of Sugar et al.

Every time I do a fridge clean, I have the same problem: leftover dairy. What to do with a tub of half-finished ricotta?

Ricotta is a soft cheese, so it has a shorter shelf life than many other cheeses. Its mild, creamy texture makes it ideal to fill different kinds of pastry, thicken up sauces, create lighter versions of cheesecake, and so on. It’s also great in chai-spiced ricotta doughnuts, which are easy, peasy comfort food.

Chai Spiced Ricotta Doughnuts With Salted Caramel Sauce
Makes about 16 medium-sized doughnuts

For the salted caramel sauce:
3 ½ tablespoons (50 grams) butter
1 cup (220 grams) brown sugar
1 cup (250 milliliter) cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt

For the doughnuts:
1 cup smooth ricotta cheese
¼ cup castor sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup self-rising flour
3 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon chai spice (if you don’t have chai spice, powdered cinnamon, ginger, or cardamom will work fine as well)
1 teaspoon grated orange/lemon zest
Vegetable oil, for deep frying
Confectioner’s sugar, to dust

Make salted caramel: Combine butter, sugar, cream, vanilla extract, and salt in a saucepan over low heat. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until sauce thickens slightly.

Make doughnuts: Mix all ingredients except for oil and confectioner’s sugar together in a bowl. If you find the consistency too thin, add a tablespoon of flour.

In a heavy-bottomed frying pan, pour at least 2 inch’s worth of oil and heat over medium heat. With wet hands, roll out balls of batter, about 1 heaped tablespoon’s worth each. Once oil is hot, at least 350°F, deep fry the balls until golden on all sides and cooked through. Keep turning them for an even browning. If you find the batter sticky, drop them directly into the oil with a spoon.

Drain on paper towels. Cool slightly. Dust with confectioner’s sugar. Serve warm with salted caramel sauce.

Need another doughnut fix? Try these stories:

The Best Doughnut in America, According to Math

Birthday Cake Doughnuts: When a Cake Just Isn’t Good Enough

How to Make 2-Ingredient Doughnuts