Swedish Doughnuts -- The Indulgence You Make Just Because the House Needs the Smell

October. The month of cold arriving and leaves falling and the specific Duluth beauty that is both magnificent and brief. The garden is done — the beds cleared, the compost turned, the garlic planted for next year. The yearly cycle complete. I planted the garlic on Saturday. On my knees in the cold dirt, pushing the cloves into the soil, covering them with straw. The garlic will sleep all winter — underground, invisible, protected — and emerge in June, green and strong, having survived everything the winter could throw at it. The garlic is the most Scandinavian vegetable. It endures. It sleeps through the worst and wakes when the time is right. I relate to the garlic. Mamma called on Sunday. She's planning her ninety-first birthday (January). She said, "No party. Just cake. And family." I said, "That is a party, Mamma." She said, "It's cake and family. Different thing." Mamma. Making philosophical distinctions about the difference between a party and a gathering of people eating cake. The distinction exists only in Mamma's mind, where all distinctions exist with absolute clarity. Peter called with news: he and Janet are moving in together. A house in Evanston, north of Chicago. He's been sober for two years in November. He said, "We found a place with a good kitchen." I said, "The kitchen is the important part." He said, "I know. You taught me that." I taught him that. Not intentionally — I taught him by example, by thirty years of cooking in a kitchen that was the center of the house, by the silent lesson that the kitchen is where the love lives. The kitchen is where the love lives. Peter knows this now. At forty-eight. Better late than never. I made an October dinner: pot roast. Paul's meal. The gathering meal. But not for a gathering — for one. The pot roast for one is an indulgence, four hours of oven time for a single portion, but the leftovers will last a week and the smell of the pot roast in the house is worth the effort all by itself. The garlic is planted. The son is nesting. The pot roast is in the oven. The mother is ninety. October. The beautiful month. The brief month. The month I move through now without stopping, because the beauty is part of the drive.

The pot roast went into the oven and I needed something to do with my hands while it cooked — four hours is a long time to just wait. Mamma used to make these on October afternoons, the cardamom hitting the air before the first one was even out of the oil, and I have never stopped associating the smell with exactly this kind of day: cold outside, something slow-cooking, the house doing its job of being a house. They’re a small indulgence, the kind you make not for a gathering but for yourself, because you’ve earned the afternoon and the kitchen is already warm.

Swedish Doughnuts

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 24

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Vegetable oil, for frying (about 3 cups)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1. Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cardamom, and salt until evenly combined.
2. Combine wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs lightly, then whisk in the milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
3. Form the dough. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until a soft, slightly sticky dough comes together. Do not overmix. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
4. Heat the oil. Pour vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven to a depth of about 2 inches. Heat over medium to 350°F (175°C), using a thermometer to monitor the temperature.
5. Shape the doughnuts. Lightly flour your hands and a work surface. Roll the dough to about 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into rounds using a 2-inch cutter, then cut a small hole from the center of each with a 3/4-inch cutter. Re-roll scraps once.
6. Fry in batches. Working in batches of 4–5, carefully lower the doughnuts into the hot oil. Fry for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side, until deep golden brown. Adjust heat as needed to maintain temperature. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper-towel-lined rack.
7. Dust and serve. While still warm, sift powdered sugar generously over the doughnuts. Serve immediately, or at room temperature — they keep well in an airtight container for up to two days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 118 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Carbs: 16g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 82mg