This week I’m testing one of the editors’ pick candidates for Food52’s ricotta recipes contest. But, to be perfectly honest, I completely muddled the recipe. I haven’t been sleeping much for the last two years, too much work to allocate more time with my eyes at rest. So I thought I had faithfully transcribed the recipe at 4:00 this morning when I took it from my office to the kitchen. Not even close. 
So this is what I made, a kissing cousin to the original recipe (which I will now test in good faith while triple checking the recipe), and delightful despite my blunder. I made these fresh sheep milk ricotta doughnuts for breakfast with a pot of strong coffee, but they would be equally at home on a dessert plate. I was expecting fair food, something like a fritter or a funnel cake, but they are quite elegant, lighter than a doughnut, but with a crisp exterior. I rolled them in warm honey with fresh orange zest and dusted them with cinnamon; sweet, warm, and lovely counterpoints to the fresh ricotta. Even my Dear Husband, who is not customarily entranced by fried foodstuffs, was in love. We stood at the stove together, eating them still hot from the oil. Mmmm.
Fresh Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Doughnuts with Warm Orange Honey & Cinnamon
The original recipe for Ricotta Loukamades with Thyme Honey and Walnuts is here. If you compare them, you will see what a total stupor I must have been in.
Yield: about a dozen small doughnuts
Ingredients:
vegetable or other neutral oil for frying
½ c. honey
1 t. very finely grated orange zest
¾ c. all purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur.)
1 t. baking powder
¼ t. baking soda
a pinch of salt
1 T. sugar
½ c. fresh sheep’s milk ricotta*
1 large egg
½ c. whole milk
1 t. vanilla extract
cinnamon for dusting
Method:
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm about two inches of oil to 360 degrees F.
- In a small saucepan, warm the honey and orange zest over the lowest possible heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients.
- In a small bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the ricotta until it is light and fluffy, about two minutes.
- Add the egg and beat until it is shiny and light in texture.
- Beat in the milk and vanilla.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and beat briefly to combine.
- When the oil reaches temperature, drop in tablespoons full of the batter. Fry them, turning them in the oil, until they are deep golden brown.
- Transfer them with a slotted spoon from the oil to the warm honey. Roll them briefly in the honey and transfer them to a serving plate.
- Dust with cinnamon.
*I used Shepherd’s Way Farms’ fresh sheep’s milk ricotta. Read more about Shepherd’s Way here.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Mmmm they look wonderful! Now that’s what I call dedication….I haven’t seen 4am for awhile!
Their looking very delightful, the honey and orange twist is a marvelous idea!
I don’t know how you go, go, go with no, no, no sleep!!!
These sound amazing! I’m going to have to give them a try. I love the look of your blog, btw. It’s so warm.