How to Enjoy the Perfect Beignet

Brought to Louisiana by the Acadians, beignets are a ubiquitous New Orleans food. A visit to the city is not complete without the perfect beignet-eating experience. You can also approximate this experience by making your own beignets at home.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Time in New Orleans
• Beignet mix (if making beignets at home)

1. Head to New Orleans. You can't get a beignet like those made in the city anywhere else.

2. Pick your venue. The most famous, and arguably the best, place to order beignets is Cafe Du Monde in the heart of the French Quarter.

3. Indulge! Beignets are not for the calorie-conscious. At Cafe Du Monde, beignets come in orders of three. Order a whole plate for yourself.

4. Order coffee. Cafe au lait, which is part milk, part chicory coffee, is practically synonymous with beignet, anyway.

5. Embrace the powered sugar tradition. According to some people, if you are eating beignets with people who have never had them before, you are supposed to blow your powered sugar on them. Even if you have never had a beignet before, you can still embrace this tradition by beating everyone else at your table to the mischief.

6. Make your own. If you can't make it to New Orleans, you CAN make your own beignets. While it's not the same as eating them next to the Mississippi River, it's worth having the opportunity to eat a beignet at all. Cafe Du Monde takes orders for mix online (you can buy chicory coffee from its website as well), and it also includes cooking tips (you can also get a number of recipes online).

Resources

• Cafe Du Monde

[coelacanth6]

on 5/10/2008 You can also buy Cafe Du Monde coffee with chicory at World Market stores. My favorite way to prepare it is VERY strong with LOTS of sugar and LOTS of cream (not the healthiest start to the day, but OH SO GOOD!).