Who’s a weird sister ready to get witchy? I know I am! With Halloween next week, I figure this is the perfect time to introduce you to my latest animation obsession: Disney’s The Owl House.
Being that this is The Gluttonous Geek, though, you know I cooked something. My friends, I did cook something. It’s The Owl House-inspired Fried Orb: double-fried doughnut on a stick with a grape syrup-soaked center!
Yes, it’s weird. And yes, it’s delicious.
Click here to skip to the recipe for Fried Orbs.
The Owl House
The Owl House follows the adventures of Luz, an imaginative Latina teenager, who, upon threat of being sent to a juvenile summer camp “to normalize her,” stumbles upon and then follows a witch through a portal to a world filled with magic and monsters.
Centering around the theme of belonging, the series tackles the battle between uniqueness and conformity. Luz finds instant fellowship with Edalyn (Eda), a renegade witch whose covenless practice makes her existence illegal. Being the only human in the world, though, Luz learns that she’s just as much an outsider here as she was at home.
Interestingly enough, though, every main character in the series either struggles with or surrenders to conformity. That’s why I love The Owl House. I was that weird kid all my life. But the Owl House takes this battle a step further with another struggle — between cooperation and isolation.
Us Weirdos Have to Stick Together
Today’s recipe, Fried Orbs, comes from The Owl House season 1, episode 14: Really Small Problems. King, the house’s adorable demon dog, feels left out whenever Luz leaves for magic school every day. So Luz promises King she’ll spend an entire day at the carnival with him. When Luz’s school friends show up though, trouble and hurt feelings ensue.
So when I saw this show up on this episode, I knew it would take some creativity to figure out. Little did I know, though, that I would learn a lesson about expectations and compromise like King.
The Fried Orb is a deep-fried ball of dough containing a gooey purple filling. I don’t like overdosing dishes with food coloring unless it serves another purpose. That’s why in the past, I’ve used kool-aid and powdered drink mixes to color and flavor things, whether pudding pies, cookies, or even mochi.
So with that, I decided to make a batch of gulab jamun — an Indian milk powder-based doughnut and soak them in a syrup made of grape kool-aid. I then froze them in clusters of three to wrap them in biscuit dough and deep fry them later.
However, I discovered that as they heated up, the clusters would steam and break open the dough during frying. It was enough to almost make me scrap the batch and give up.
Luckily, though, I bought two tubes of biscuit dough that day. So I tried covering and frying individual gulab jamun. It worked.
Like King, I learned that if you can’t control the circumstances of your expectations, you adapt and make the best out of it. And like Luz, I realized that you should do your best to keep your promises. That’s why after I shot these photos, I wrote the recipe to ensure you get a giant grape-flavored wrecking ball of sweetness every time.
Enjoy, my friends!
Sing for your Supper!
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The printable recipe card and playlist for Owl House-inspired Fried Orbs will be available as a $2 donor reward on my Ko-Fi page until the next post goes up.
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“I am not your Cutie Pie!”
Fried Orbs
Equipment: Stovetop, cooking spray, two saucepans with lids, flour sifter, mixing bowl, rolling pin, whisk, spatula, slotted spoon, muffin tin, cupcake liners, eight wooden chopsticks, frying thermometer, and freezer.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup and 1 Tb melted butter
- 1 package grape kool-aid mix
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp ground clove
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2.5 cups vegetable oil
- 1 can flakey biscuit dough (8-count)
Instructions:
Make the filling (at least one day before):
- Sift the milk powder, flour, spices, and baking soda into a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Pour in a tablespoon of melted butter.
- Blend the mix with your fingers until it resembles fine crumbs. Then stir in water with a spatula, a little at a time, until it forms a sticky dough. Divide the dough into eighths.
- Coat your hands in cooking spray, then roll each portion into a ball. Set the dough balls on a plate and let sit for 20 minutes while making the syrup.
- Whisk the lemon juice, kool-aid mix, two cups of water, and one and a half cups of sugar in one of the saucepans over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover with the lid to keep warm.
- Warm the remaining butter in the other saucepan with the vegetable oil over medium-low heat. After 5-6 minutes, lower a dough ball in with a slotted spoon. If it comes up immediately, the oil is too hot. Remove the pan from the burner for a minute. If it comes up slowly, the oil is hot enough. Reduce the heat to low.
- Cook the balls in batches of three while stirring clockwise. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate when doubled in size and golden brown. Transfer the fried dough to the pot of syrup and refrigerate both saucepans overnight.
The following day:
- Line the muffin tin with cupcake liners and add a syrup-soaked ball to each cup. Freeze for at least two hours.
- When ready to cook, heat the oil on the stovetop to 350°F. While waiting, roll a biscuit dough section to at least a 4-inch diameter. Place a frozen syrup ball at the center and wrap the dough around to cover. Roll it between your hands to smooth the dough, then coat in sugar. Repeat with the remaining materials.
- Lower the dough balls 1-2 at a time into the hot oil. Fry 3-4 minutes on each side or until puffed and golden brown. Use the slotted spoon to transfer to a plate and serve on chopsticks once cooled.
