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Traditional, carefully-prepared pączki
awaiting final coatings. Don't worry.
yours don't have to look like this. (Courtesy **) |
Pączki (pronounced POHNCH-kee) are a traditional treat on Shrove Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins). The recipe here, however, isn't traditional; it includes a major shortcut that should make this treat even more popular. Maybe they're not as good as some egg-rich dough recipes, but they’re still delicious, prep time is cut from hours to minutes and dishes and clean-up are practically done away with, so there’s a lot to like.
Ingredients
~ Pot of hot oil for deep frying, 350o-360o (F) Maximum caution when using hot oil, especially if kids are in the area.
~ 1 (or more) 7.5 ounce refrigerator breakfast biscuits tubes. These smaller-size biscuits work best. They’re ten to a tube and the tubes often come in packs of four.
~ Powdered (confectioner) sugar, a bunch
~ A lunch-sack size paper bag (or a large bowl)
~ Pot of coffee, large glass of milk, or even apple cider to accompany the eating
Preparation
~ Open the biscuits, separate them and allow them to rest at room temp for 10-15 minutes (allows better rise). Don’t mash or handle them more than necessary.
~ Heat the oil to temp.
~ This next part will happen fast, so you’ll want to have handy a spider, large slotted spoon or tongs to retrieve the pączki from the hot oil and some brown paper or paper towels on which to drain them afterward.
~ Assuming a full-sized pot (if smaller, “fry-baby” size, go with two batches), carefully drop the biscuits into the hot oil. Try not to drop them on top of one another.
~ After about one minute, flip or prod a biscuit to turn it over. We’re looking for a dark brown carmelized color (color = flavor). If it’s not there yet, turn it back for another half minute, then check another biscuit. Frying time can vary depending on unspecified factors. When good color is achieved, flip all the biscuits and fry for not-quite the same length of time.
~ Remove the pączki to the draining paper. Allow to drain about a minute.
~ Put ¼ Cup powdered sugar in the paper sack.
~ Drop three pączki in the sack, roll the top tight and shake until the pączki are coated. Repeat with the remaining pastries, adding more sugar as necessary.
~ Alternate (Green) method: Think of the powdered sugar as what it really is—insulation. Pour a layer of the sugar into a wide-bottomed bowl. Carefully place the pączki in the bowl. Cover with another thick layer of powdered sugar. Now both warmth and flavor are retained by the insulating powder. (May even be eligible for energy-conservation tax rebates. Try including it in your tax return; let me know what happens.) Carefully probe for the pastries with your fingers, then lift carefully, retaining maximum sugar coverage (and R-value) right to your mouth. After biting, quickly dip exposed portion into insulating powder.
~ Other alternates: Pączki can be rolled in granulated sugar, sprinled with cinnamon, or even glazed. If you feel ambitious, you can pipe fruit paste into them.
Serve fresh and hot. Pączki’s peak flavor has a half life of about 20 minutes.
;^)
