» Beignets

Beignets

Posted by Tara on Saturday, August 29th, 2009

In 2003, dear hubby and I visited New Orleans for his 40^th birthday and our anniversary. We enjoyed that trip immensely and were charmed by the city’s history, culture, architecture, and delicious food. One of my fondest, most romantic memories of that trip was sitting outside Café DuMonde – eating my first Beignet and drinking some fabulous coffee with my mate. Since the trip, I have bought Beignet mix and tried a few recipes. But the following recipe is a close rival of the Café DuMonde Beignet. I can’t take credit for the recipe because I found it somewhere on the internet. But I can take credit for eating too many Beignets this morning! And I must say -they were TRES BEIN!

In 2005, two years after our trip, Hurricane Katrina slammed the Louisiana coast- killing over 1000 people, leaving over a million Americans homeless, and devastated much of New Orleans. I wanted to post a recipe to honor all those who lost lives, helped save lives, or whose lives were displaced by this catastrophe. Here’s a loving hug from one Southern gal to all those who are still hurting. If I could cook your hurt away, I would! Keep the French Quarter cuisine alive. Make Beignets!

1 cup lukewarm water
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, room temperature & beaten
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup evaporated milk
4 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast
Vegetable oil
Powdered sugar for dusting

Using a mixer with a dough hook, place water, sugar, salt, egg, butter, evaporated milk, flour, and yeast in the bowl. Beat until smooth. Form dough into an oval, place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until well chilled (3 to 4 hours) or overnight.

To prepare dough, remove from refrigerator and roll out on a lightly floured board to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into approximately 3-inch squares or circles.

In a deep fryer or large pot, heat vegetable oil to 360 degrees F. Monitor oil temperature at all times. The oil should remain at least 350 degrees, but not more than 375 degrees. Adjust heat accordingly.

Fry the beignets (2 or 3 at a time) 2 to 3 minutes or until they are puffed and golden brown on both sides, turning them in the oil with tongs once or twice to get them evenly brown; beignets will rise to the surface of the oil as soon as they begin to puff. (If the beignets don’t rise to the top immediately when dropped into the oil, the oil is not hot enough)