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.

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