Beignets (Ben-YAYS!)...

Today is Ash Wednesday, so you might be expecting a recipe for fasting, but I am in more of a Mardi Gras mood. So instead of a recipe for King Cake, I offer you the quintessential New Orleans doughnut.

In France, a beignet is fruit that is dipped in batter and fried; what we would call a fritter. I recently posted a great Apple Fritter that is worth a look. But in the United States, beignet means New Orleans, the French Quarter, the Café du Monde and chicory coffee. Beignets have been served at the Café du Monde since 1862, just after the Civil War. Some say the chicory coffee was made extra strong to discourage unaccustomed Northern palates from partaking. It’s a little snotty, not the usual southern hospitality ~ wouldn’t you say? The beignet itself, and the tradition of sweet fried dough, are thought to have been imported by French nuns in the 1700's.

Is there anything quite like a fresh out of the deep fryer beignet with a cup of thick chicory coffee? No matter who you make these Beignets for, they are going to love them. My beignets aren’t Café du Monde beignets, which are a baking powder-based beignets; my recipe is for a yeast beignets. However, just as there are “cake” doughnuts and “raised” doughnuts, there are baking powder beignets and yeasted beignets. Chacun à son goût... Variety is the spice of life!



Beignets

Recipe from Kit Whol’s New Orleans Classic Desserts

Ingredients:
1 cup lukewarm water
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg, room temperature & beaten
2 tablespoons butter, softened
½ cup evaporated milk
4 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast
Vegetable oil*
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

* Use just enough vegetable oil to completely cover beignets while frying.

Using a mixer with a dough hook, place water, sugar, salt, egg, butter, evaporated milk, flour, and yeast in the bowl. Beat until smooth. If using a bread machine, select dough setting and press Start. When dough cycle has finished, remove dough from pan and turn out onto a lightly oiled surface. 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 ½ -inch thickness. Cut into approximately 3-inch squares.

In a deep fryer or large pot, heat vegetable oil to 360 degrees F. 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. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels, then sprinkle heavily with Confectioners' sugar. Serve warm.

NOTE: The dough can be kept for up to a week in the refrigerator - it actually improves with age; just punch down when it rises. Dough can also be frozen; cut and roll, or shape your beignets before freezing.

Makes 18 beignets

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George’s notes:

• Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and occurs forty-six days (forty days not counting Sundays) before Easter. It is a moveable holy day, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter. It can occur as early as February 4th or as late as March 10th.
• In France, beignet is an umbrella term for a large variety of pastries made from deep-fried dough with fruit or vegetable filling.
• In 1723, the capital of Louisiana was moved to New Orleans, founded in 1718. The tradition has expanded to the point that it became strongly associated with the city in popular perception, and embraced by residents of New Orleans beyond those of French or Catholic heritage. Mardi Gras celebrations are part of the basis of the slogan, Laissez les bon temps rouler, ~ Let the good times roll and the nickname "Big Easy".
• In the late 1980s, beignets were named the official state doughnut of Louisiana.