Aaaaaargh – missed a week, friends. I’m sorry, I really am. Mainly because….I want to put up at least one post a week! No other reason, it’s not really deeper than that. It just took me a little while to get inspired this week is all. I had an idea for a bright blue background behind a salted caramel and charred pineapple sundae. It was in a brass bowl, which goes well with blue, and I wanted to put a little umbrella in it. Needless to say, when I hacked into the pineapple it was ickily brown. And then, since I had already set up my shot, and have limited time, as I know all bloggers do, I forged ahead. I made a lime, salted caramel and rum milkshake, which was tasty! And then I salted the rims of the glasses. It was delicious! But it looked waaaaay like baby puke when photographed on a blue background. And by the time I got to photographing, I had already lost the good light. So, sigh, it was not meant to be. Suffice it to say, I lost my photography mojo for a few days after that. But then, as she so often does, Nigella swooped down on a cloud of inspiration and easy recipes, and served me up the idea of sweet, light, EASY ricotta doughnuts. That’s right, the most defining quality of the whisper-light, sweet and creamy doughnuts is how simple they are! One bowl, nothing more than a wooden spoon required, and I fry them in a pan that would barely be big enough to poach an egg. The recipe only makes about 16 doughnuts, which is just about perfect for swift inhalation alongside a strong espresso and an engaging conversation. And was just enough inspiration for me to throw my photography woes to the wind, and start a-frying doughnuts! These should be eaten in one or two bites, heavily dusted in sweet powdered sugar. Each mouthful disappears on the tongue, with a crispy savoury edge before giving way to airy, milky-sweet rum and vanilla scented center. I cannot emphasize enough how whisper-light these are I really can’t, and although they are subtle, they are intriguing enough to be eaten on their own. Would I say no to a sultry puddle of salted caramel, if I were eating them after dinner? No ma’am. No I would not. But as they are, alongside a dark Italian espresso, and in the midst of a conversation full of wild gesticulation, these are perfect. Perfetto. Molto Bene. Grazie, Nigella. I shall now get back on the regular blog-posting horse.
Ricotta Kisses with Rum & Vanilla
Adapted from Nigellissima, 2012, by Nigella Lawson.
100g ricotta
1 egg
1tsp sugar
2tsp rum
1tsp vanilla paste
40g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
Canola oil, to fry
Icing sugar, to dust Fill a small saucepan (the size you would boil an egg in) about half to two-thirds full of canola oil over a medium-low heat. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine, the ricotta, egg, sugar rum and vanilla and beat until very well combined. Finally, stir through the plain flour and baking powder until thoroughly combined. Test the oil, by placing a wooden chopstick or spoon handle in the pan. If the oil bubble gently around the handle, then the temperature is about right – 180C.
Gently drop teaspoons of the batter into the oil, and fry until gently golden and cooked through, or about 2 minutes. Test a few, to ensure they are cooked through, but they don’t take long. Once cooked, drain on a paper towel lined plate. To serve, dust heavily with icing sugar and enjoy!
These sound amazing!!!
Thanks, Aimee!
I feel your pain…I wish there was daylight until like, 10 pm. That would be perfect! These look delicious – Nigella can do no wrong!
Haha, yes, fading light is the bloggers curse! And you’re right about nigella. My guru.
These. Look. So. Good. I wish I had a plate full right now!
Me too, Rachel. Me too.
They would be gone quicker than is really decent, in my case. :D
I don’t like deep frying but these sound so good that I might just have to break my rule! :P
I feel like such a bad influence. …..but doooo iiiiitttt!
Oh god, I have been there! I have folders and folders of reject photos, and it just breaks my heart because I worked so hard on the tasty food, why do the colors look like a blind person put it together? SIGH. These look absolutely lovely, and I’m sure that they taste even better. The powdered sugar against the black really makes everything pop.
This blogging thang ain’t always easy! I hear you, Sydney. Thankyou for your lovely comment on the black plate, too! I can assure you it was most definitely a fluke.
Gracious! These look and sound so wonderful. I think I’m going to have to try and make them. Like, right now.
Go go go! You will be amazed.
Yum, these sound amazing! I love your photos too.
Thankyou, Rosie! It’s always a relief to hear my
Photos aren’t terrible.
Man, I hate it when you have a shot set up and then either the shoot or the recipe doesn’t work out. Feels like such a waste! These, though, look amazing!
Amen to that. It is a stone cold bummer when you go to all the effort and it doesn’t work out! I’m sure there’s a lesson to be learned in there, but I’m usually too busy eating ricotta doughnuts to work it out.
Oh my…your ricotta kisses look gorgeous. I’ve been craving for donuts for quite some time but haven’t get to it yet….afraid that I would eat the whole batch myself. This is such a simple recipe and sounds divine. I love light and fluffy donuts. Can’t wait to make these.
These certainly fit the bill for light and fluffy! Let me know how you go!
Ok… I’m totally using my left over fresh ricotta to make these! How fortuitous you made them around the same time I made my fresh ricotta. :)
I was thinking that when I read your post! There must have been something in the water. 0_o
These look gorgeous. I’m dying to get my hands on a copy of Nigellissima, I bet she has plenty of fantastic recipes packed in there! Just love her!
As do I, unrestrainedly!
those look absolutely delicious! i have to try them out now! :)
Go for it!
Wow, these look gorgeous. I should really make some doughnuts before it gets too warm to even think about deep-frying. Generally speaking, I’m more of a yeasted-doughnut girl, but I’m curious about how ricotta factors into the texture and crumb of a doughnut. I might just have to give these a try.
These are more of a really light, airy, milky fritter than a traditional doughnut. Or their like a doughnut that had all the weight removed from it. I’d love to hear what you think! I’m a yeasted, glazed doughnut lover myself, but these are the best quicktime solution to a doughnut craving that I can think of!
I remember seeing the recipe on Nigella’s show and drooling over it! Looks incredible :)
They are delicioso! Though I have changed the flavours from her recipe!
Oh my yum! I need this in my life!
You do. You so do. Can I come over?
These look so good – definitely going on my to-do list. And I can sympathize about losing the light by the time you get something ready to shoot – I try to get started earlier but it’s not always possible.
Thanks Donalyn! It’s the plight of the food blogger!
I saw this episode the other day and boy did they look good. Yours look fantastic! I have a bit of a fear of deep-frying (hot oil scares me!) but I really should get over it so I can make proper doughnuts.
Definitely! These are too good to miss! Plus this is on a super small scale. Very manageable.
this looks incredible!!
Thanks Shayla!
Oh, the woes of a food blogger! I can relate on so many levels!
But these doughnuts look fabulous! I tried making homemade doughnuts for the first time last year and fell in love. Unfortunately, having a big batch of fresh doughnuts sitting in my house is a predicament that I must try to stay out of. However, I could totally get down with a small batch of these lovelies!
I am loving these! I love bite sized doughnuts and the ricotta just takes these to the next level! I want a bunch of these right now. :)
Thank You for dropping by my site, cuz I’m so happy to have discovered yours :)
These Ricotta doughnuts look too good to pass up, I’m going to have to try these !!
Oh my word. These just sound absolutely wonderful. And I am quite pleased to hear how easy they are to make! You can always count on Nigella to come through with solid recipes :)
I’m actually salivating. These are amazing.
Soon as I move into the new place, I’ll make you some!
These look amazing. Love anything sweet and fried, how could you go wrong?
Doughnuts are my favorite and these ones sound so amazing with the ricotta! Yum! Can’t wait to try your recipe out!
wanted to try your revipe but was cut short because I couldn’t find a reliable converter to convert grams to ounces/cups…Help???
Hey bubba! 100g of ricotta is about 3.5 ounces, and the flour would be a slightly heaped 1/4 cup. The rest should be fine in tsp and tablespoons!
Hope you like em,
Sarah