The Best Beignets
A beignet is a French fritter with a vibrant heritage. During the Middle Ages, cooks in Spain deep fried a yeast fritter and called it a bunuelo. In France, they shaped airy "choux" pastry rounds like little cabbages and called them French Market doughnuts, while Italians fried dough balls and sprinkled the "zeppole" with powdered sugar. Acadians brought the "grand-pere," a fried dumpling version, from Canada. French Cajuns brought the "beignet" fritter into New Orleans. Does this Spark an idea?
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Description
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Beignet aficionados say the first bite of this feathery-light pastry pillow is heavenly; they often liken the heady incense of the bubbly oil and smoky residue of powdered sugar dust to a religious experience. Akin to this idea, New Orleans bakeries and cafes serve a trinity of three beignets per serving. The beignet should be prepared when it it is ordered, then eaten while piping hot. Purists deep fry the famous fritters in cottonseed oil until they puff up; this makes them crispy and crunchy. After a heavy dusting of confectioner's sugar, they're ready to be inhaled.
Diversions and Toppings
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The humble fritter's ingredients can be tweaked so that gluten-sensitive and diabetic foodies can enjoy it as well. For those who cannot eat gluten, substitute a gluten-free pastry flour mix for the regular flour. To make a beignet recipe diabetic-friendly, substitute sucralose or omit the granulated sugar and the confectioner's sugar dusting altogether. Top a beignet with cream cheese and lemon creme de la creme, caramel sauce, cinnamon sugar, custard or the Holy Grail of velvety sweetness: fresh whipped cream.
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Restaurants
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Cafe du Monde serves beignets outside and inside, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. New Orleans landmark Café du Monde is known worldwide for the beignet and chicory coffee. It opened in 1862 in The French Market; the café is open 24 hours, seven days a week. Mara's Homemade eatery is in New York City's East Village; the restaurant gets online rave reviews for its homemade beignets. The Gumbo Pot in Los Angeles' Farmer's Market offers traditional or chocolate beignets with chicory coffee or café au lait.
Recipe (18 Beignets)
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Purists prefer to have their beignets heavily dusted with powdered sugar. Ingredients include 1 cup of lukewarm water, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 beaten egg, 2 tbsp. soft butter, 1/2 cup evaporated milk, 4 cups of bread flour, 3 tsp. instant active dry yeast, vegetable oil and powdered sugar. Using a dough hook in your mixer, beat first eight ingredients until smooth. Shape dough into an oval on an oiled surface; place it in a greased, covered bowl; refrigerate until chilled. Roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into 3-inch squares. Heat the fryer oil to 360 degrees and fry beignets in sets of three for three minutes until they puff up, rise to the surface and turn golden. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle heavily with powdered sugar. Serve hot.
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References
- Photo Credit Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images Chris Graythen/Getty Images News/Getty Images
