Warm Chocolate Doughnuts with a Damson Fool

Chocolate Doughnuts

Ingredients:
250ml Milk
450g Flour
50g Cocoa powder
7g Fresh yeast
1 Pinch of salt
50g Caster sugar
1 Egg
100g Unsalted butter
Method:

• Warm the milk and mix in the yeast.
• Mix all the dried ingredients together and place on a mixing machine.
• While the machine is mixing on a low speed, add the butter in small pieces until it is fully incorporated.
• Beat the egg and pour into the mix, then finally the milk.
• Mix for about 10 minutes until it becomes elasticised dough.
• Place the dough in a bowl, cling film and put in a warm place.
• Let the dough prove for about 25 minutes until it has doubled in size.
• Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the dough to a 1cm thickness.
• Cut the dough with a cutter into the desired size and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
• Deep fry the doughnuts at 175°C and then roll in sugar and serve.

Damson Fool

450g Damson Puree (see recipe below)
250ml Apple juice – Reduce to 100ml
3 egg yolks
20g sugar
3 Leaves gelatine
200ml whipping cream
100g Italienne meringue (see recipe below)

Damson Puree

1kg Damsons
100g Sugar
250ML Apple juice

Method:

• Place all ingredients in a thick-bottomed saucepan.
• Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes.
• Liquidise and pass through a fine sieve

Italienne Meringue

3 Egg whites
40ml Water
180g Caster sugar
15g Glucose syrup

Method:

• Whisk the egg whites to a soft peak stage.
• Boil the water, sugar and glucose until it reaches the temperature of 118ºC
• Pour the boiling sugar mix onto the egg whites and continue whisking until it forms stiff, shiny peaks

Method:

• Whisk together the yolks and sugar, along with the reduced apple juice
• Place the mix in a saucepan and cook gently on the stove until the mixture coats the back of a spoon or it reaches 81 c.
• Take off the heat and add the pre-soaked gelatine leaves and pass through a fine sieve.
• Mix into the damson puree, the Italienne meringue (see recipe below) and whipped cream.
• Place in the desired serving dishes and set in the fridge for 20 minutes.
• Serve with the warm chocolate doughnuts.