South Tyrolean Apple doughnut with a South Tyrolean wine sauce

Separate two eggs in a bowl. Separate another egg and add only the yolk to the bowl. Add the cane sugar and bicarbonate of soda. Whisk until frothy. Add the wheat flour and lemon zest and stir. Pour the Grappa into the dough to prevent it from becoming greasy in the oven. Add the cold milk and stir until you have a smooth dough. Keep an eye on the consistency of the dough: it should not be too liquid nor too firm.

Wash the apples and coarsely grate them into a bowl. Add the grated apples to the dough and stir again. Leave the dough to sit for a brief while.

To make the wine sauce, set up a bain-marie. Pour the white wine into a bowl, separate and add the eggs. Stir in the cane sugar, cornflour, lime zest and freshly pressed lime juice. In the bain-marie, whisk the mixture for 10-15 minutes until frothy. Make sure not to let the mixture get too hot to prevent clotting.

To deep-fry the doughnuts, heat a generous splash of oil and a little butter to 180 degrees in a deep frying pan. Lightly salt the risen dough and stir it once more. With two spoons, make little doughnuts and put them into the oil. Deep-fry for about 4 minutes until golden brown, remove from the pan and leave to drip-dry on a piece of kitchen roll.

Pour the wine sauce onto a plate until the base is covered, place the doughnuts on top and sprinkle with cinnamon and powdered sugar. Garnish with the basil leaves for a splash of colour.