First of all, I want to tell you I was up till almost 4 in the morning last night. I had bought a 3 pack of Starbucks Via Ready Brew. It is instant coffee that is supposed to taste like a fresh brewed cup. I opened a pack of the Columbia which is a medium brew. I think Starbucks needs to put a warning on the label that drinking it too late at night causes a huge caffeine rush which results in extended periods of sleeplessness. The stuff is better than No-Doze! Usually I can drink coffee late at night with no ill effect, but this time I just couldn't sleep. So I figured it would be nice to plan something for the morning. After writing the post about the Shrimp Creole I figured why not continue our trip through the bayou to the Big Easy? One of my very first memories of New Orleans is sitting at Cafe Du Monde http://www.cafedumonde.com/ in Jackson Square at 4 in the morning with a big hot cup of cafe au lait and a basket of freshly made beignets covered in powdered sugar.
Beignets (pronounced bey nyay) is basically a deep fried doughnut without the hole. According to my research, some historians believe that the Ursuline Nuns of France brought the recipe to Louisiana when they arrived in 1727. It is also believed that the beignet is the father of the raised donut!
Most all recipes for beignets include yeast. So you need to do a little planning if you want to make them. This particular recipe requires the dough to chill for 8 hours, so it is best to make it overnight as I did. Let's begin!
The recipe for these particular beignets is from the cookbook "New Orleans Classic Desserts, Recipes from Favorite Restaurants" by Kit Wohl. It is 95 pages filled with beautiful color photographs, background on the the restaurants and 45 luscious desserts.
Here is a list of the ingredients:
1 package active dry yeast (1/4 oz)
3/4 cup warm (110 degrees) water
1/4 c evaporated milk
1 tsp granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1 large egg, beaten
4 - 4 1/4 c all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil for deep frying
Powdered sugar
Stir together the yeast and 3/4 c warm water in a 2 cup measuring cup. let stand 5 minutes. In a large bowl, stir together the yeast mixture, evaporated milk, sugar, salt and egg until blended. Gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough. Cover and chill the dough for at least 8 hours.
Place dough on a well floured surface and knead 5 or 6 times. Roll dough into a 15" x 15" shape and cut into 2 - 3 inch squares. Smaller beignets will puff and brown faster, so do not leave them unattended.
Pour oil to depth of 3 -4 inches in a deep skillet or Ditch oven and heat to 375 degrees. Place each beignet in the hot oil. Working rapidly, fry several beignets at a time, not letting them touch, for approximately 1 minute on each side. Turn with tongs to brown each side evenly. Drain well on paper towels and sprinkle warm beignets with powdered sugar.
Serve immediately, piping hot.
So after mixing the dough and putting in the refrigerator to chill, I rose at 9 am and finally got cooking. Unfortunately my husband was at work, so I really didn't need to make the whole recipe (they really should be served piping hot) so I only fried half the dough (though I did eat all the beignets!).
Dough rolled out to thickness:
I uses a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 2" squares.
My Dutch oven comes in handy for frying. I used canola oil and heated it to 375 degrees. Then I placed the beignet dough into the hot oil. Fry till golden.
Then you dust the hot beignets with powdered sugar (this is a light dusting compared how you get them at Cafe Du Monde)!
Mmm Mmm Mmm! Enjoy!
Beignets (pronounced bey nyay) is basically a deep fried doughnut without the hole. According to my research, some historians believe that the Ursuline Nuns of France brought the recipe to Louisiana when they arrived in 1727. It is also believed that the beignet is the father of the raised donut!
Most all recipes for beignets include yeast. So you need to do a little planning if you want to make them. This particular recipe requires the dough to chill for 8 hours, so it is best to make it overnight as I did. Let's begin!
The recipe for these particular beignets is from the cookbook "New Orleans Classic Desserts, Recipes from Favorite Restaurants" by Kit Wohl. It is 95 pages filled with beautiful color photographs, background on the the restaurants and 45 luscious desserts.
Here is a list of the ingredients:
1 package active dry yeast (1/4 oz)
3/4 cup warm (110 degrees) water
1/4 c evaporated milk
1 tsp granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1 large egg, beaten
4 - 4 1/4 c all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil for deep frying
Powdered sugar
Place dough on a well floured surface and knead 5 or 6 times. Roll dough into a 15" x 15" shape and cut into 2 - 3 inch squares. Smaller beignets will puff and brown faster, so do not leave them unattended.
Pour oil to depth of 3 -4 inches in a deep skillet or Ditch oven and heat to 375 degrees. Place each beignet in the hot oil. Working rapidly, fry several beignets at a time, not letting them touch, for approximately 1 minute on each side. Turn with tongs to brown each side evenly. Drain well on paper towels and sprinkle warm beignets with powdered sugar.
Serve immediately, piping hot.
So after mixing the dough and putting in the refrigerator to chill, I rose at 9 am and finally got cooking. Unfortunately my husband was at work, so I really didn't need to make the whole recipe (they really should be served piping hot) so I only fried half the dough (though I did eat all the beignets!).
Dough rolled out to thickness:
I uses a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 2" squares.
My Dutch oven comes in handy for frying. I used canola oil and heated it to 375 degrees. Then I placed the beignet dough into the hot oil. Fry till golden.
Then you dust the hot beignets with powdered sugar (this is a light dusting compared how you get them at Cafe Du Monde)!
Mmm Mmm Mmm! Enjoy!
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