Food Nostalgia

originally published Friday, April 20th

Doughnuts and Cream Puffs and Pudding, Oh My!

Just when most people are doing extra crunches, skipping dessert and buying new bikinis, I've been doing a little indulging. We still have a while to go until beach weather arrives, but the warmer temperatures have encouraged me to get out and search for delicious food. Last week I found myself traveling in Oakland, California. On the last night of my trip, a little bored and a little sleep-deprived, I decided to take a walk. Within a few blocks of where I started, I caught wind of something glorious. The smell of fresh, sweet baked goods. I followed my nose further to find an old 24 hour doughnut shop. This was no Dunkin, but the real deal. With doughnuts, pastries and cakes all fresh and handmade with real ingredients. I soon found myself inside staring longingly at the glass case filled with sugary creations.
Now, I haven't eaten this kind of doughnut in years. I think I was still in elementary school the last time a filled, glazed doughnut touched my lips. One of my parents was a bit of a sugar-holic and one has been police officer my whole life so I know a great deal about doughnuts, and have had more than my share.. for breakfast, snacks and dessert. My dad and I always liked the vanilla creme-filled, maple-glazed long johns the best. I never knew why they called it a long john. Except that it is rectangular in shape as opposed to round, like a giant eclair. My dad's name is John, so as a kid I always liked them for that reason.
In my teen years when I became interested in healthy eating, my doughnut days came to an end. Since then I've only enjoyed the occasional handmade seasonal, organic creation from The Doughnut Plant on Grand St. in Manhattan. With flavors like lavender, strawberry and the Elvis doughnut (peanut butter-glazed and filled with banana creme. ) These are excellent, but there's just something about the maple-glazed long john that has always eluded me. It's the kind of doughnut made in an old fashioned shop run by someone's grandfather and served with 10 cent coffee. This is exactly what I found on my late night walk in Oakland.
Like most kids in the 70's and 80's, I grew up eating a lot of sweets. Starting with sweetened cereal for breakfast (with more sugar on top of course), sweet snacks throughout the day, and always dessert after dinner. It seems almost crazy to me now, the thought of eating ice cream on my breakfast waffles, or enjoying a plate of biscuits and hot chocolate pudding first thing in the morning.. but this is the way many people eat. An early start with so much sweet stuff made me a bit of a sugar-holic myself. Sugar has always been my biggest food weakness.
As a result, these days I rarely eat things containing cane sugar at all, especially when it's refined. I am also reluctant to use it in my cooking, opting instead for alternatives like maple syrup, honey or agave nectar.
I know that limiting or eliminating the sugar in my diet has improved my overall health, and helps me to crave the nutritious foods I really need, instead of reaching for empty calories. It is the above reasons, and the fact that I am a health-oriented chef and cooking teacher, that make the maple-glazed doughnut of my dreams even more taboo.
That said, I also believe in moderation and I believe that eating should be a source of enjoyment. If I project onto the simple maple-glazed doughnut all my fears, guilt and insecurity about breaking my healthy-eating rules I am sure to make it unhealthy. Guilt doesn't taste very good and I don't think it's very good for digestion.
The doughnuts, the cream puffs, the candied yams with marshmallow topping are probably not something we should indulge in too often. However, on the special occasion when I get the chance to have any of the above I try to enjoy them without guilt and savor every bite.
The maple-glazed vanilla pudding-filled long john doughnut I found in Oakland was amazing and delicious. It brought back fond memories of my childhood and my dad. Just as cream puffs smothered with chocolate sauce remind me of my grandmother and my great aunts, and hot biscuits covered with butter and chocolate gravy (a family tradition) bring me back to Wednesday mornings at my grandparent's breakfast table in Arkansas.
Healthy eating is not just about what you eat, but how you eat it. Eating a balanced diet but occasionally indulging in these sweet food memories is part of a healthy attitude towards food. So, savor every bite no matter what you eat. Eat with joy to nourish your body and also your soul. :)
Here's a sweet recipe you can enjoy whenever you like. I've always loved jam dot cookies, and these remind me of the delicious Archway brand cookies sold in grocery stores when I was a kid. This recipe comes from my culinary school days. For some reason, the staff was so obsessed with them that we made them all the time. I have baked hundreds. They are less sweet than packaged cookies, but quite addictive. Take them to a party and you'll see them disappear. For this recipe you will need a food processor.

Holly's favorite Jam Dot Cookies

1 cup raw almonds
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
pinch sea salt
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup light vegetable oil (like canola)
1/2 cup maple syrup
jam

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Pulse almonds in food processor into a coarse meal, remove
3. Using food processor, grind rolled oats to flour like consistency
4. Combine flour, oats, almonds, salt and cinnamon in a bowl
5. In another bowl, blend wet ingredients. Add to dry mix forming a well. Mix thoroughly
6. Roll into walnut sized balls. Place on an oiled cookie sheet. Press down with thumb
7. Drop rounded teaspoonful of jam into indentation in each cookie
8. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Don't over-bake. Cookies will become crisp as they cool.

Makes approx 1 1/2 dozen