Today, we are going to try something different. Instead of referencing a character directly from the show, we are actually going to take a look at an "Original Character" (or an OC for short). I always wanted to explore more of the free form original characters from the "tumbler verse" and what better place to start then one of the most well known through out the Brony Community. Ladies and Gentlemen, the one recipie you all been waiting for....Fluffle Puff.
From "SUDOWOODO.WMV" of Youtube Channel Fluffy Mixer: The first animated appearence of Fluffle Puff.
Fluffle Puff is quite unique in terms of origin as an idependant character. Originally, Fluffle Puff was a fan made joke for the early fandom tumbler Dan-vs.-FiM. After a barage of popularity and fan fair from the cute pink puff ball, She got her own official tumbler and she has been up there since her debut.
From "Just Another Day" by Fluffy Mixer: Fluffles "Family"
Since Fluffle Puff is technically not from Hasbro and the official FiM Franchise, the therory is that Fluffle Puff is from another "tumbler verse" or a parelle universe where Twilight, a human named Dan and Queen Chryslis live under the same roof with Fluffle Puff. This practice of "what if insert character here lived with insert unruly or whacky character here " is actually pretty common not only in the Brony community but also with plenty of other fandoms who use tumbler. If you truly think about it, Tumbler has always been the "multi-verse Hub" for many different kinds of characters and stories that can be from any other show or something completly original. You might say that tumbler is the Stargate of the internet.
As for Fluffle Puff herself, its very difficult to truly describe her as a character. She has virtually no dialog beside her signiture "phfflll" and her gasp. Yet what she lacks in verbal dialog, she uses her non-verbal actions and expressions do all the talking. She is carefree, bubbly and always carring for her freinds and her lover Chrysalis. Fluffle is also curious and enjoys everything about life that interests her (like tacos for example). In short, I think she is just a little filly who just enjoys being herself and getting into all sorts of situations.
From "Fluffle Puff Tales: 'Nightmare Night'" : Another Situation with Chysilis and Fluffles
As for dish itself, I decied to make something that seems familiar but really unique to fit with Fluffle Puffs character. I decided to use an original recipie that I created by accident and desperation known as the "Bakenut". If you are familuar with doughnuts, then you would see that its originally dough that is deep fried. But what's different about the Bakenut is that it is "half-fried and half-baked" to give the pastry good semi-crispy out side with a very soft inside.
The dough was actually based off of an Italian doughnut known as "Zappole" (zap-o-Le). I decided modify the recipie to use lime zest instead of lemon zest to give the bakenuts more flavor and to set it apart from other Italian Desserts. I also used more of an old world technique of creating the dough by making a patte a choux to give it body as well as fluffness.
The chilie lime surgar is more of a gimmick then the main attraction of the semi-fried pastry. Mostly because, it's more of an attention grabber then the main focus of the Bakenut it self. This relates more towards the unique character design of Fluffles of having some familuar features of a pony but covered in fluff that grabs most of the attention of everyone else. I'm not going to lie, it is unusual in America to make a surgar that is more savory with spices and citrus then making it sweeter then it's intended. Yet somehow, it all balances out when the combination of sweet, spicy and sour to create something that is truly unique compared to the old fashioned doughnuts that we are all familiar with. In terms of how Fluffles act, it defiantly shows that sometimes the bizzare and uncharacteristic of what is expected, can be a beatuiful and delicious phenomenon. Now here is a recipie that essentially branches out to that mode of thinking.
Fluffle Puffs Chili-Lime "Bakenuts"
Dough
1 stick of butter (yes 1 stick)
1/2 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
1 cup of flour
4 egg yolks
Zest of 1 lime
Chili Lime Surgar
2 cups of surgar
3-4 Tablespoons of Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon of smoked paprika
2 teaspoons of cumin
A pinch of cayene pepper
Juice of 1 lime
1. Heat the water, butter, surgar and some salt in a small sauce pan and simmer it for 10-15 seconds. After it is simmered, remove the sauce pan from the heat and add your flour. Stir your mixture with a wooden spoon in the sauce pan until the flour is fully incorperated.
2. Transfer your dough into another bowl and let it cool for a couple of seconds. Then, with your hand mixer on low speed, add one of your egg yolks and mix until it is fully incorperated. Keep incorperateing the rest of the egg yolk, one yolk at a time until the mixture is fully incorperated. After your incorperated your eggs, add the lime zest to the dough and fold in into the mixture until incorperated.
3. Preheat your oven to 350 F. Then take a cookie sheet pan and rub it vegitable shorting until the pan is covered in fat. (You can also use butter or olive oil as a substitute.) With a small spoon or ice cream scoop, scoop the mixture onto the sheet pan. Make sure to add enough space in between to make flipping easier.
4. Once your oven is preheated, add your pan in the oven for 13 minutes. After 8 minutes of cooking, open the oven and use a spatula to flip your bakenuts over. Once they are flip, continue to cook for 5 more minutes.
5. While your bakenuts are in the oven, combine all of the chili surgar ingredients into a bowl and mix it together with a wisk until incorperated and turns into a light red color. ( if you see clumps of surgar stuck together by the lime juice, just use your clean fingers to crumble into the surgar and keep mixing in the bowl ) you can store the surgar in an air tight bag in a dry cuburb for up to a week.
6. After about 13 minutes of cooking your bakenuts should be done. If you want to check the doneness of the pastry, take a tooth pick or the tip of your dinner knife into the tickest part of your thickest looking Bakenut and then remove after a few seconds. If the knife or tooth pick comes out clean, it is ready. If there is still some dough stuck to the knife or toothpick, then let it rest in the heated oven for a few more minutes until fully cooked. Once done, let them cool in a cooling rack or a paper towel lined plate.
7. While the bakenuts are still warm, take the bakenuts and cover them with the Chilli-lime sugar. (You can always take the bakenuts and flip them around the bowl.) Shake off the excess surgar and serve with a lime wedge or in a paper, brown bag.
What's really neat about bakenuts or doughnuts in general is that you can customize them with different toppings and different flavors. I choose chili-lime surgar because it gives the Bakenut a more Tex-Max twist to the Bakenut (obviously referencing Fluffle Puffs love for tacos and Latin American food). I also wanted to give it the Bakenut a new flavor profile outside of the sweetness spectrum of deserts for that uniqueness quality.
I'm actually glad I decied to cover a character outside of the show for once. It gives me a fresh new look not only at the show MLP: FiM, but it also gives me new ideas of how I can tackle other characters outside of the fandom. Maybe there could be other fandoms I could try someday. Who knows.
But anyways, I could say with confidence that Fluffle Puff is one of the best recipies I ever tried outside of the fandom.
Before I go through, I do want to say that there would be a new video comming out on my youtube channel pretty soon. It is about my trip to my first Brony Convention at Trotcon as well as some other neat news I might share. Although for now, I'm afraid I must bid all of you a-do and enjoy something fluffy tonight.
From "A Day in the Life" from Fluffy Mixer: Fluffle Puff and Quenn Chrysalis Sleeping Soundly.
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