Nielsen-Massey is highlighting a few chefs and creators who authentically and fearlessly share their diverse backgrounds and experiences through their daily cooking and baking. We are thrilled to introduce you to Shanika Graham-White, known for blending her Jamaican and Southern roots and bringing that flair to all her dishes.
You may have stumbled on Shanika’s picture-perfect Instagram page (@orchidsnsweettea_) or visited her food blog for weeknight meal inspiration, but regardless of how you found her, she has been serving up delicious recipes since 2016. During that time, Shanika has created a community of loyal followers fueling their souls with good vibes, good eats, and a delicious cocktail or two along the way. In 2021, she unveiled her first cookbook Orchids & Sweet Tea: Plant-Forward Recipes with Jamaican Flavor and Southern Charm that shows plant-forward meals can be flavorful and tasty.
1. Please share with us how you began your journey into baking and the culinary arts.
I began my journey around 2016 after dealing with health struggles postpartum that caused me to reduce my dairy and gluten intake. At that time, there weren’t many options available, and I learned to experiment and test recipes to help with my newfound healthier eating. Coupled with my financial struggles that didn’t allow me to eat takeout, I taught myself how to cook and bake. I soon expanded my skills, grew traction, and became a guide for a new way of cooking for others who needed/wanted options for health reasons, dietary reasons, and education on the types of ingredients available.
2. When did you know you wanted to be a chef?
Honestly, I didn’t. I just discovered my love for cooking and baking after much practice, trial, error, and success.
3. Tell us the story of the recipe you chose and what it means to you.
Glazed doughnuts were one of my favorite desserts growing up (and still are), and I often purchased them at local bakeries and places selling them. Therefore, being able to make them myself at this point in my culinary journey is a full circle moment to how far I’ve come as a baker. I now understand the great feeling of re-creating your favorites using your own favorite ingredients and ensuring that they are healthier while still enjoying the delicious taste!
4. What’s your favorite way to use vanilla, and why?
I love using vanilla in baking and in my daily morning lattes. I love the enhanced flavor that vanilla adds to most things, with significantly sweeter notes.
5. What are you excited about right now? Any new projects?
I’m most excited about the new recipes I’ll be creating this year, which will be fresh, unused, and even more unique to what I’ve always done. Also, I am excited about the idea of wanting to create a pop-up experience in Brooklyn, New York, to further connect with those who are my avid supporters and also as a way to get a “feel” for a future project that I hope to attain soon—a bakery or restaurant of my own.
6. Who are other culinary professionals you follow that we should all know?
Check out more of Shanika’s recipes on her Instagram at @orchidsnsweettea_ and visit her website to purchase her cookbook Orchids & Sweet Tea: Plant-Forward Recipes with Jamaican Flavor and Southern Charm.
The Best Classic Glazed Doughnuts
Serves: 14 doughnuts
Doughnut Ingredients
Glaze Ingredients
Directions
Dough
Combine yeast and 1 tablespoon of cane sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer and slowly pour in WARM water while stirring frequently. Allow 5-10 minutes for the mixture to sit and for the yeast to activate. (NOTE: When yeast is successfully activated, a foam-like layer will form atop the mixture.)
Add the room-temperature milk and WARM butter to the yeast mixture and whisk until well combined
Next, add the eggs (one at a time), egg yolks, and vanilla, whisking to incorporate.
In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, pastry flour, cane sugar, cinnamon, and sea salt, add them to the wet ingredients, and mix on low speed until well combined and everything begins to form into a dough-like consistency, about 2-3 minutes.
Change the mixer head to a kneading accessory and knead the dough for 5-10 minutes on high speed until the dough ball becomes smooth and elastic and the dough springs back when lightly pressed together with two fingers. (NOTE: If the dough is still too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until texture is achieved!)
Lightly grease a large bowl with a small amount of olive oil and place the dough ball in the bowl, tossing it around until coated. Cover with plastic wrap (or a towel) and let sit for 1 hour, allowing the dough to rise and double in size.
Roll + Cut Dough
Add a bit of flour to a surface and place the risen dough onto it, lightly adding a bit of flour to the top. Then, using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a rectangular shape—-approximately 9″x14 and ½-inch thick. (NOTE: Try not to make the dough too thin, or your doughnuts will be light and a little hardened once fried.)
Using a donut cutter (about 3.5 inches), cut out doughnuts and place them on a flat surface with parchment paper to avoid sticking to the surface or each other. Repeat until all doughnuts are cut out.
Heat Oil
Heat 3-4 cups of oil in a medium-sized Dutch oven pot over medium-low heat. Add a few doughnuts to heated oil (about 3-4 at a time if they fit) and fry on each side until golden brown. Using a skimmer, transfer the fried doughnuts from the oil to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain any excess oil. Repeat until all doughnuts are fried and moved to the paper towel.
Glaze
Whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and almond milk until smooth and consistent.
Line your warm doughnuts onto a rack side by side and using a large spoon or measuring cup (about ½ cup), add the glaze atop each doughnut until fully covered. Allow the glaze to slide down the sides and let everything “set” for 4-5 minutes until the glaze hardens.
Once all doughnuts are glazed, serve and enjoy!
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