French Market Beignet Doughnuts – Real ones this Time



Look Closely…


Photo above…


And Below…





Remember last week


Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILLI was ashamed that I declared… I CAN COOK THAT! But then, who couldn’t???  I actually bragged about opening a tube of dough and whipping cheater Beignets off in a matter of minutes.


I was ashamed, the guilt was over powering and I confessed… Today I want to finish the cycle of penance and give an authentic recipe for those delightful little breakfast snacks.

Fortunately, Mary at DEEP SOUTH DISH, had already provided a recipe for FRENCH MARKET BEIGHET DOUGHNUTS on her site!


Anyone who has ever visited New Orleans has a warm spot in their heart for these beauties.  Been a goal for awhile to learn to make authentic French market (OK, Cafe du monde) style Beignets.  Here’s Mary’s recipe…

French Market Beignet Doughnuts
Posted at http://www.deepsouthdish.com

1 envelope of yeast
1/4 cup of warm water
4 cups of sifted flour
2 tablespoons of shortening
1/3 cup of boiling water
1/4 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of evaporated milk
1 egg, beaten
Powdered sugar, sifted

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside. Sift the flour and set aside. Pour the boiling water over the shortening and stir until the shortening is melted.

Preheat deep fryer to 360 degrees. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the sifted flour with the sugar and salt, melted shortening, milk, egg, and yeast mixture. Add enough additional flour to form a shaggy dough. Sometimes you will need all of the flour, sometimes you’ll need less – depends on the weather, rain, humidity, etc. in my opinion! Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and roll thin – somewhere between 1/4-inch and 1/8-inch thick. Using a  pizza wheel, cut the dough into 2-inch squares. Drop into hot fryer and brown on one side until golden, flip and brown on the other side. Remove and drain on paper towels, sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar and serve immediately with a cup of café au lait.

Makes between 30 and 40, depending on how thick you roll them.


I did cut the recipe in half, made plenty for the two of us…



And they came out great…



My penance is now complete, I can indeed cook authentic scratch Beignets.

Martha

YUMMY! Only one thing you didn’t tell us – were the real ones better than the easy way? I’m sure they were but just how much better? Is it worth the effort? You know I’m into the simple stuff 🙂