When in the world did doughnuts become “glazed yeast rings”?

By / Food / January 18th, 2018 / 11

Where have I been? What did I miss? When in the world did raised doughnuts become “glazed yeast rings?” Yes, this unsavoury moniker is slapped atop boxes of fresh doughnuts at my local grocery store. A frantic search online did nothing to assuage my horror. Calling a doughnut a glazed yeast ring is a trend, a thing — not just a fad, my friends. It is, in fact, here to stay, much like the millennials’ annoying newly created word “adulting.” (“Woohoo, I paid my bills! I’m adulting!”)

I’m not altogether certain a glazed yeast ring sounds better-tasting or better for me than a plain old doughnut. However, the sneaky attempt to make a food sound healthier by giving it a cryptic euphemism isn’t all that new. For the past few decades, some food manufacturers have been disguising sugar as “evaporated cane juice,” leading to a few fairly ambitious consumer lawsuits.

Let’s face it, not everything is exactly what we think it is. Dried plums are prunes. Chilean sea bass is Patagonian toothfish. Canola oil is rapeseed oil. Calamari is squid. Benedict Cumberbatch is not really Sherlock Holmes. And adulting means you’ve grown up and become a responsible human being, at least occasionally.

Meanwhile here are a few recipes to try when you feel like adulting … um … I mean cooking. By the way, I do not know how to make glazed yeast rings, so you’re on your own for that recipe. Sorry.

turkey orzo soup

serves 4 to 6

Here’s a delicious way to use up some of that leftover turkey. Soups are never an exact science. Use whatever ingredients you fancy. For the record, I use salt-free or low-salt turkey broth. And I sometimes substitute light red kidney beans for the cannellini beans. Add sautéed onion, celery, shredded carrots and garlic if you’d like.

8 cups turkey broth
2-3 cups diced cooked turkey
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 cups spinach or baby kale
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup orzo
Garlic croutons, for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste.

In a large pot, bring turkey broth, turkey, tomatoes, beans and seasoning to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, until heated through. Add spinach or kale and cook 2 more minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate pan, cook and drain orzo according to package directions. Add hot orzo to soup. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish each serving with a few croutons.

Match: Serve a Chardonnay with the soup.

stuffed acorn squash

serves 4

For something different on a cold October night, try this meal-in-a-squash. I’ve stuffed acorn squash many different ways, with a variety of bread stuffings or even rice pilaf. Be adventurous and come up with your own special dish. Or if you’d just like a squash side dish for Thanksgiving, follow the roasting instructions in this recipe. In the last 10 minutes, turn the squash right-side up; place butter, cinnamon and maple syrup in the hollow of each squash half. Roast 10 minutes longer.

2 acorn squash, cut lengthwise in half and seeded
Olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper
250 g mild or hot Italian sausage, casings removed and sausage meat crumbled
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 cup mushrooms, finely chopped 
1 sweet red pepper, minced
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 slices Italian bread, cut into cubes
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 375˚F.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush each squash half with olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Roast, cut-side down, uncovered, 30 minutes.

Turn squash cut-side up and roast 10 minutes longer, or until tender.

Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Add sausage, garlic, onion, mushrooms and red pepper. Cook, stirring often, 10 minutes or until sausage is cooked through.

Add chicken broth and bread. Cook 2 minutes. Scoop sausage stuffing into each squash half.

Sprinkle with mozzarella. Return to oven and bake 10 minutes or until cheese melts.

Match: Try a California Pinot Noir.

thanksgiving party mix

Let’s get this party started! Make ahead and freeze this party mix up to 3 months. Change up the flavour with Cajun, Creole or barbecue seasoning. Use the small bite-sized cereals of your choice, preferably with little to no sugar. This is not a fancy appetizer; it’s downright humble. But it’s easy to make and everybody loves it. So why not?

5 cups pretzel sticks
4 cups round toasted oat cereal, such as Cheerios
4 cups bite-sized square wheat cereal, such as Shreddies
4 cups bite-sized square corn bran cereal, such as Quaker
3 cups mixed nuts
1 cup butter
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

On a large baking sheet with sides, combine pretzels, oat cereal, wheat cereal, corn bran cereal and nuts. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat and stir butter, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and cayenne pepper until butter melts. Drizzle over cereal mixture. Stir to coat. Bake 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Cool. Store in airtight container.

Match: Serves many friends. Pass the cold Molson.

asian flank steak with peppers

serves 4

Fast, fresh, fabulous — I’ve been making this quick dinner since before the millennials were “babies babying” let alone “adults adulting.” A tip — I sometimes add cubed fresh pineapple or drained canned pineapple tidbits. Sirloin steak can also sub for the flank steak. For easy slicing, put the beef in the freezer for about 30 minutes before preparing.

1 flank steak, about 1 1/2 pounds
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp white wine
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp canola oil
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1-2 cups snow peas
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger root
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
Hot, cooked jasmine rice

Slice flank steak across the grain in thin slices. In medium bowl, combine 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp white wine and the cornstarch. Add beef slices, mixing to coat well. Set aside.

Make sauce: In a small bowl, combine remaining soy sauce, wine, vinegar and sugar. Set aside.

In a wok or skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add peppers, mushrooms and snow peas. Stir-fry 2 minutes. Cover and cook 2 minutes more or until mushrooms are tender. Remove and set aside. Add 1 tbsp oil to work. Add garlic, ginger and cayenne pepper, if using.

Cook and stir 1 minute. Remove and set aside. Add remaining oil. Add beef. Stir-fry until browned and cooked through. Remove and set aside. Drain off excess oil.

Return beef to skillet or wok. Add sauce and veggies. Heat through. If too thick, add more soy sauce. Serve over jasmine rice.

Match: An Australian Shiraz goes well with this dish.

sour cream dijon cod fillets

serves 4

Every so often, I crave something I’ve never actually tasted or perhaps tasted so long ago I can’t remember when I had it. Recently I woke up one morning craving fish with a mustard sour cream sauce. Perhaps I had it in a dream. Who knows — but here’s the result.

4 cod or other whitefish fillets
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp minced chives or scallions

Preheat broiler.

Pat fish dry with paper towels. Salt and pepper to taste.

Coat a broiler pan with cooking spray. Place fish on broiler pan. Broil 4 inches from heat until fish flakes easily with a fork, about 5 minutes per half-inch of thickness. (When broiling, stay in the kitchen and watch carefully. Food can segue from done to burnt in a flash.)

In a small saucepan, stir together sour cream, cream, mustard and chives or scallions. Heat through over low heat. Do not boil. Spoon sauce on 4 plates. Top with fish.

Match: Uncork a Sauvignon Blanc.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Quench Food Editor, Nancy Johnson, minced, sliced, chopped, sautéed and sipped her way through George Brown College’s culinary program with a focus on food writing and wine. Nancy cooks by the code her Italian grandmother taught her: For the best results, always use the freshest, best ingredients. She writes for Ohio-based Wine Buzz Magazine and recently published a short story in Woman’s World Magazine. She is always on a diet.

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