Who doesn’t love a fresh hot doughnut? Here the taste of ricotta shines through and a drizzle of tangy lemon syrup is just perfect.
Make the lemon syrup by heating ½ a cup each of lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup thickens a little. Depending on your lemons you may need to add more sugar to taste. For the doughnuts use a fresh full-milk ricotta cheese. To 1 cup of ricotta add a generous cup of flour, ¼ of a cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, the grated rind of a lemon and 2 large or 3 small eggs. Mix everything together with a fork until well combined. Choose an oil with a high smoke point like grape-seed, peanut, sunflower or canola oil. Heat a good amount of oil to 160ºC (320ºF) in a deep saucepan or deep-fryer. Drop small walnut-sized spoonfuls into the hot oil and cook, turning a few times, until they are golden brown and cooked through (you might have to test one and adjust the temperature accordingly). When cooked, remove them to a paper towel lined plate. Have a bowl of caster (superfine) sugar ready to coat the doughnuts while they’re still hot.
michelle picker cooks 