Beetroot Doughnuts

Hmm, I have just realised that I haven't posted a single recipe with beetroot this year yet! Today it is just the right time to change that, thanks to a sudden idea. I believe that beetroots and blood oranges are made for each other, so there was no question that I am going to serve these cute little beet dougnuts with blood orange curd. It turns into a real treat if you sprinkle it with some cardamom flavoured icing sugar! A real delight!

Ingredients:

500 g flour
20 g fresh yeast
50 g powder sugar
50 g butter
1 egg yolk
50 g beetroot
juice of 2 oranges
3 cardamom pods
2 tablespoons orange liqueur
1 pinch of salt
150 ml milk
150 ml beet juice
500 ml oil for frying

Peel and dice beetroot and cook until soft in orange juice together with the cardamom pods. Heat milk and beet juice until lukewarm nad set about 2-3 tablespoons aside. Pour the rest of the milk-beet juice mixture over the yeast, 3 tablespoons flour and 1 tablespoon powder sugar and let it stand until the yeast swims on top. Meanwhile puree cooked beetroot with the rest of the milk-beet juice mixture. Add the rest of the flour, powder sugar, egg yolk, beet puree, liqueur and lukewarm melted butter to the yeast mixture. The dough is pretty soft, so take a wooden spoon and beat it for about 20 minutes until it is smooth, or leave the work for a machine. Let the dough rest until it doubles its size. Flour a working surface and flatten it with your hand, cut out any shape you like and let it stand for another 30 minutes, then deep fry in oil.


100 g butter
100 g sugar
juice and zest of 1 lemon
juice and zest of 2 blood oranges
2 egg yolks

Over a bain-marie melt butter with sugar, fruit juices and zest. As soon as the butter has melted whisk it together, add the egg yolks and whisk on the highest level for about 10 minutes until it thickens. Pour into jars and chill.