Friday May 15, 2009
When I was a kid my Dad would go to the bakery and get Chicago hard rolls and jelly donuts. This would often be a Sunday breakfast treat. We would eat the crusty hard rolls with butter and sharp cheddar cheese and follow them up with a donut. These were special donuts too. The outsides had a crispness to them from being fried but the insides were tender and filled with raspberry jelly and covered in powdered sugar.
For months I have waxed poetic about these donuts seeking to find a version that lived up to my nostalgic memories but unable to find any real bakery that even made donuts. A baker friend of mine told me that most bakeries don't make donuts because they require their own special world of equipment and space. Believe me I have searched. I even contacted the local food critics to see if they had any sources. I came up empty handed. The sad excuses for jelly donuts that come from the local chain places can't match those donuts of my youth. So this afternoon, when I actually spotted a non-chain donut shop on our way home from our morning adventure (see below) I swung the car around - yes I did - and we went in to take a look.
The first good sign was that it smelled like a donut shop with that wonderful combination of yeast and cinnamon and coffee and freshly fried dough. The second good sign was the amazing looking selection in the bakery case. For a moment I thought I had found what I was longing for because there in the case sat some very promising looking powdered donuts. Sadly, none of them had raspberry filling because it was too late in the day. They were out of them. Nevertheless I had to try some powdered variety, at least to see if the texture was right. Did it have that crunchy exterior? Was it a flavorful yet light dough? So I got a lemon filled one and tonight gave it the test. (I know I can't believe I lasted until tonight either but I had a big lunch).
The verdict? It's the closest I've come yet although it was lacking those little crispy bits I was looking for. But it's possible that it had softened up some in the bag, like french fries that have sat around for awhile, because the flavor was great. You could taste the crust separate from the insides. I ate it with relish thinking about those donuts of long ago.
I suppose I may never really be able to recreate that Sunday morning treat that I used to share with my Dad over 35 years ago. Times have changed. He's been gone 19 years this very month and bakeries like the ones of my youth are few and far between. Besides, perhaps the thing that made those donuts so special was the fact that I was sharing them with my Dad.
Dessert
from Bula Donuts, Kissimmee FL
Lemon Filled Powdered Donut (7 Pts)
Dinner
My Borscht Soup (2 Pts)
2 Tsp Light Sour Cream (1 Pt)
Tomatoes with balsamic vinegar & Parmesan sprinkles (0 Pts)
Tomorrow is my husband Marty's birthday and every year I try to surprise him with a little adventure. So today I took him to a nearby eco-ranch where we did a zipline safari tour. Two years ago, while on a cruise in Hawaii we went ziplining on my birthday so I thought this would be an appropriate turn of events. It was great fun. When we were done, it was lunch time and we were hungry. There is a restaurant on the premises so we splurged and had burgers that were made with the local Florida cracker beef right from the ranch. Point intensive, but oh so tasty. If you are ever in the central Florida area and want to check out this place it is a lot of fun and an opportunity to escape the theme park frenzy for a peak at the natural side of Florida. In addition to the zipline safaris, they offer horseback and coach safari's. For details visit their website at http://www.foreverflorida.com/
Lunch
Cypress Restaurant, St Cloud FL
Patty melt & fries (a whopping 27 Pts)
You play you pay - and I only ate half of these fries.
Breakfast
Fiber One Honey Oat clusters with 1% milk (4 Pts)
with bananas, strawberries & blueberries (.5 pts)
Coffee with 1% milk (1 Pt)
For months I have waxed poetic about these donuts seeking to find a version that lived up to my nostalgic memories but unable to find any real bakery that even made donuts. A baker friend of mine told me that most bakeries don't make donuts because they require their own special world of equipment and space. Believe me I have searched. I even contacted the local food critics to see if they had any sources. I came up empty handed. The sad excuses for jelly donuts that come from the local chain places can't match those donuts of my youth. So this afternoon, when I actually spotted a non-chain donut shop on our way home from our morning adventure (see below) I swung the car around - yes I did - and we went in to take a look.
The first good sign was that it smelled like a donut shop with that wonderful combination of yeast and cinnamon and coffee and freshly fried dough. The second good sign was the amazing looking selection in the bakery case. For a moment I thought I had found what I was longing for because there in the case sat some very promising looking powdered donuts. Sadly, none of them had raspberry filling because it was too late in the day. They were out of them. Nevertheless I had to try some powdered variety, at least to see if the texture was right. Did it have that crunchy exterior? Was it a flavorful yet light dough? So I got a lemon filled one and tonight gave it the test. (I know I can't believe I lasted until tonight either but I had a big lunch).
The verdict? It's the closest I've come yet although it was lacking those little crispy bits I was looking for. But it's possible that it had softened up some in the bag, like french fries that have sat around for awhile, because the flavor was great. You could taste the crust separate from the insides. I ate it with relish thinking about those donuts of long ago.
I suppose I may never really be able to recreate that Sunday morning treat that I used to share with my Dad over 35 years ago. Times have changed. He's been gone 19 years this very month and bakeries like the ones of my youth are few and far between. Besides, perhaps the thing that made those donuts so special was the fact that I was sharing them with my Dad.
Dessert
from Bula Donuts, Kissimmee FL
Lemon Filled Powdered Donut (7 Pts)
DinnerMy Borscht Soup (2 Pts)
2 Tsp Light Sour Cream (1 Pt)
Tomatoes with balsamic vinegar & Parmesan sprinkles (0 Pts)
Tomorrow is my husband Marty's birthday and every year I try to surprise him with a little adventure. So today I took him to a nearby eco-ranch where we did a zipline safari tour. Two years ago, while on a cruise in Hawaii we went ziplining on my birthday so I thought this would be an appropriate turn of events. It was great fun. When we were done, it was lunch time and we were hungry. There is a restaurant on the premises so we splurged and had burgers that were made with the local Florida cracker beef right from the ranch. Point intensive, but oh so tasty. If you are ever in the central Florida area and want to check out this place it is a lot of fun and an opportunity to escape the theme park frenzy for a peak at the natural side of Florida. In addition to the zipline safaris, they offer horseback and coach safari's. For details visit their website at http://www.foreverflorida.com/
Lunch
Cypress Restaurant, St Cloud FL
Patty melt & fries (a whopping 27 Pts)
You play you pay - and I only ate half of these fries.
Breakfast
Fiber One Honey Oat clusters with 1% milk (4 Pts)
with bananas, strawberries & blueberries (.5 pts)
Coffee with 1% milk (1 Pt)
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