Brunch? Little puffy clouds of powdered sugar, Can you say Cafe du Monde? Thats right its Beignets!
I tried to take one bite so you could see that the insides are totally void of anything but air. I tried 3 time to take one bite so you could see the void inside, <chuckles> I gave up. The dough is chewy. The powdered sugar is traditional but can be changed to maple sugar, or even wipe the outside with a nice desert wine and the a bit of sugar.
You must make the dough the night before,and I used only half today. I'll have beignets again this week.
PS the last picture was what was left of yesterdays foray into brunch, fried cherry pies. I didn't post them because I didn't sugar coat or glaze them. They just evaporated while hot without sugar! LOL
Foam's Beignet Recipe
Ingredients:
1 envelope active dry yeast
3/4 cup water (110 degrees f)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3 1/2 a.p. flour
1/8 cup shortening
vegetable oil for frying
powdered sugar in a shaker or sifter
Directions:
Combine the Yeast, Water, and Sugar in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (You could also make this in a food processor, or the old fashioned way, by hand). Let this sit until frothy, about 5 minutes, then add the Salt, Egg, and Evaporated Milk. Mix on low speed, then add half of the flour until it starts to come together, then add the shortening. When the shortening is incorporated start adding the remaining flour, a little at a time until most of it is incorporated. At this time I always turn the dough onto a floured bench to finish by hand, just like when I make bread; it’s a touch thing. Knead the dough adding just enough flour as necessary to make a non-sticky, smooth dough. Place the dough into a large oiled bowl, loosely cover and let rise (I made mine last night and let it rise overnight in the refrigerator).
The next morning set the bowl on the counter for at least an hour before doing anything. It will still be cold, but that 1 hour rest is important. This is when I slowly heat the oil on low. Don't burn the oil but its nice to have it at temp when you are ready to drop beignets.
The dough has doubled in bulk, punch it down and turn it onto a floured surface and roll out into a rectangle that is about 1/2″ thick. With a very sharp knife working at a diagonal to the rectangle, cut into 2″ wide strips. Now cut into diamond shapes by making diagonal cuts in the opposite direction.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan to 350-360 degrees. Place 2-3 Beignets into the hot oil at a time, being careful not to smash or deflate them. When they are golden brown, flip them over until golden brown on the other side (They go pretty quickly so start checking them right after they go into the oil). Remove to paper towel lined plates to drain. Serve hot topped with plenty of powdered sugar (because the dough doesn’t contain much sugar, you will want a lot!)
Cook'n is a next generation recipe app that makes it fun and easy to share favorite recipes.
I tried to take one bite so you could see that the insides are totally void of anything but air. I tried 3 time to take one bite so you could see the void inside, <chuckles> I gave up. The dough is chewy. The powdered sugar is traditional but can be changed to maple sugar, or even wipe the outside with a nice desert wine and the a bit of sugar.
You must make the dough the night before,and I used only half today. I'll have beignets again this week.
PS the last picture was what was left of yesterdays foray into brunch, fried cherry pies. I didn't post them because I didn't sugar coat or glaze them. They just evaporated while hot without sugar! LOL
Foam's Beignet Recipe
Ingredients:
1 envelope active dry yeast
3/4 cup water (110 degrees f)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3 1/2 a.p. flour
1/8 cup shortening
vegetable oil for frying
powdered sugar in a shaker or sifter
Directions:
Combine the Yeast, Water, and Sugar in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (You could also make this in a food processor, or the old fashioned way, by hand). Let this sit until frothy, about 5 minutes, then add the Salt, Egg, and Evaporated Milk. Mix on low speed, then add half of the flour until it starts to come together, then add the shortening. When the shortening is incorporated start adding the remaining flour, a little at a time until most of it is incorporated. At this time I always turn the dough onto a floured bench to finish by hand, just like when I make bread; it’s a touch thing. Knead the dough adding just enough flour as necessary to make a non-sticky, smooth dough. Place the dough into a large oiled bowl, loosely cover and let rise (I made mine last night and let it rise overnight in the refrigerator).
The next morning set the bowl on the counter for at least an hour before doing anything. It will still be cold, but that 1 hour rest is important. This is when I slowly heat the oil on low. Don't burn the oil but its nice to have it at temp when you are ready to drop beignets.
The dough has doubled in bulk, punch it down and turn it onto a floured surface and roll out into a rectangle that is about 1/2″ thick. With a very sharp knife working at a diagonal to the rectangle, cut into 2″ wide strips. Now cut into diamond shapes by making diagonal cuts in the opposite direction.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan to 350-360 degrees. Place 2-3 Beignets into the hot oil at a time, being careful not to smash or deflate them. When they are golden brown, flip them over until golden brown on the other side (They go pretty quickly so start checking them right after they go into the oil). Remove to paper towel lined plates to drain. Serve hot topped with plenty of powdered sugar (because the dough doesn’t contain much sugar, you will want a lot!)
Cook'n is a next generation recipe app that makes it fun and easy to share favorite recipes.
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