Sometime around 12:53am on Wednesday night, Clark informed me that he had never eaten a hot donut. Never. Not a hot Krispy Kreme. Not a hot donut from the local bakery. Nada. I didn’t know how to react. I’m still in shock, actually. He’s almost 24 years old and he’s never had a fresh, fragrant, melt-in-your-mouth donut?

There was only one solution. We looked at each other and knew what had to be done. The local bakery in town has been around since way, way before our time. It’s practically an urban legend around these parts. And somehow, this is all related to healthy, veggie stuffed spring rolls.

The bakery, Linne’s Pastry Shop, opens at 5am every day except Sunday. That made Thursday morning good. It was time to right the wrong. We’ve been in celebration mode this week since releasing The Burger Book, so this seemed like a wonderful idea. And boy, was it ever.

We made a pact to stay up all night until the bakery opened, so we kicked it off with a gluten-free frozen pizza to help us power through. [In total teenager fashion.] The Olympics have been on all week, so it was the perfect opportunity to catch up on the medal counts. We watched speed skating and some of the downhill skiing, and the last thing either of us remember was watching a wicked wipeout on the slope.

I don’t know what time we fell asleep, but we woke up tangled and drooling on the couch at 4:38am. WE HAVE 22 MINUTES TO MAKE IT TO THE BAKERY. We threw on coats and scarves and gloves and boots and stumbled out the door. Somehow, we rolled up to the storefront at 4:58am. The lights weren’t even on yet.

We sat in the car staring at the door and wondering what to do. Then, a hefty fellow climbed out of a car across the street and walked right into the bakery. We followed right behind him and put in our order. The donut holes were already sold out, so we settled for 2 twisters and 2 cakes. Then we hustled out the door and inhaled them like the total pigs that we were. Warm, melty, flaky, glazed perfection. There is nothing on earth like a fresh baked donut.

With tummies full and tongues happy, we drove back home and made fun of ourselves for the wild donut adventure. We knew everything would be back on track the next day because these spring rolls were on the agenda. And let’s be honest, eventually, The Burger Book celebrating had to come to an end.

I’m always pretty excited about posting a new recipe, but this one is different. Can you see why?

I’ve been tapping my fingers and humming and giggling ever since I had the idea. Then, after making it and eating it, I really. Could. Not. Wait. I have an unwavering love for Asian cuisine, which is probably obvious considering this is the second spring roll recipe we’ve done, and we’ve even gone to the trouble of making homemade sushi. But I figure that if I love Asian food this much, other people do too.

This is a bit of a different take on spring rolls. In fact, we left out the spring roll wraps entirely. Instead, we layered thin slices of daikon to make the wrap. It was way easier and even more delicious. Double score. The various textures and flavors in the vegetables couldn’t get along any better. All of that, dipped in the thick, hot sauce – it’s gold.

The sauce is on the spicy side, which I think is perfect for the flavors in these rolls. But if you need to tone it down, just leave out the red pepper flakes. It’ll be just as tasty without the burn.

Follow along below for a play-by-play of filling the rolls and dipping the rolls and eating the rolls.

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