How to make Beignets

You don't have to travel to New Orlean's French Quarter to taste a beignet with your morning latte. Here's a recipe that is surprisingly easy to execute and that makes real beignets. Astound your friends by serving them at your next brunch.

Things You'll Need

• 1 cup white flour
• <br>1 stick butter (no substitutes)
• <br>4 eggs
• <br>1 cup water
• <br>1 small saucepan
• <br>1 mixing bowl
• <br>1 wooden spoon
• <br>1 tablespoon
• <br>1 large frying pan
• <br>Oil for frying
• <br>1 slice white bread
• <br>Slotted spoon
• <br>Paper towels
• <br>1 cup powdered sugar
• <br>Jam (optional)
• <br>Syrup (optional)

Instructions

1. Boil 1 cup of water into which the stick of butter has been added.

2. When the mixture is at a full rolling boil, remove the saucepan from the heat and quickly dump 1 cup of flour into it.

3. Stir until all of the flour is worked into the mixture which looks like a white paste. Transfer this mixture into the mixing bowl.

4. Crack one of the eggs into the mixing bowl. Quickly mix it and beat the mixture until the egg is fully incorporated. At first the mixture will glisten and show bright yellow. As you beat it, it will expand and then seem to dry a bit before turning a lighter yellow. Then add the second egg and repeat the process. Do this one at a time with each egg. The mixture will require more strenuous beating with each additional egg. Set the beignet batter aside.

5. Pour enough cooking oil into a large frying pan so that it is three quarters filled.

6. Heat the oil until the addition of 1/4 of the slice of bread floats up to the top of the oil. This means that the oil is hot enough to fry the beignets.

7. Drop one tablespoon of the beignet batter at a time into the oil.

8. Use the slotted spoon to flip them over when they are golden brown on the bottom.

9. Remove them and drain the excess oil before placing them to cool in a single layer on top of some paper towels. Continue until all of the beignets have been fried.

10. Roll the warm beignets in a bowl of powdered sugar and then place them on a serving platter. They can be piled on top of each other. Serve them warm with jam or syrup.

Tips & Warnings

• You can roll the beignets into the powdered sugar while other beignets are frying. This makes it likely that they will be warm when you serve them.

• <br>If you bake the beignets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, the result is the shell of an éclair which you can fill with custard or cream and ice with chocolate.