In my first morning in the colourful city of New Orleans (or NOLA to the locals) I rose early to avoid the crowds and stifling heat. The city itself is an extremely beautiful and unique place, that seems entirely different to the previous US destinations I have visited. It is not a city where anything is done quickly, the heat and humidity ensure everything is done at a steady pace and the locals (while often eccentric) are extremely friendly. One such local spotted me as I stood on the corner of a street trying to decipher my map and plan out my day. Knowing a tourist when he saw one the man struck up a conversation and offered his advice. I told him I was interested in trying the food and he directed me towards the legendary Cafe Du Monde, which many regard as the birthplace of the Beignet.
N’awlins Beignets are very different to their French counterparts. Anyone who has sampled a French Beignet knows that they are often small, light as air puffs of delicate choux pastry. Whereas in NOLA Beignets are more akin to doughnuts. They are made from an enriched dough that is cut into rectangles and deep fried until golden, puffed up and vaguely chewy. The Beignets at Cafe Du Monde are generously proportioned and when cooked have roughly the dimensions of a deck of cards. These pillows of fried goodness, are liberally topped with immense snowy peaks of icing sugar (we’re talking three to four tablespoons of the stuff.) If you are ever lucky enough to travel to New Orleans to sample these traditional delights with a cafe au last, do yourself a favour and don’t wear dark clothes. You’ll be dusting the errant icing sugar off your clothes for days.
Level: medium
Methods: enriched dough
Skills: deep-frying
Time: 2 1/2 hours
Makes: about a dozen
Ingredients
350ml lukewarm water
100g caster sugar
1x 7g sachet of fast action yeast
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4tsp salt
250g evaporated milk
800g bread flour
50g butter (room temperature)
Oil, for deep-frying
approx 250g icing sugar
Method
1. Mix together the water, sugar, and yeast in a measuring jug. Set aside until the yeast has activated and the surface is frothy.
2. In another bowl, beat the eggs, salt and evaporated milk together. Then stir the egg mixture into the yeast mixture.
3. In a separate bowl, measure out the bread flour.
4. Add half of the flour to the yeast mixture and stir to combine, to make a thick batter.
5. Add the butter and continue to stir while adding the remaining flour, bit at at a time. The dough will be fairly sticky but don’t worry too much.
6.Remove the dough from the bowl, place onto a lightly floured surface and knead for around five minutes or until smooth and elastic. Only add more flour if the dough becomes unmanageable as we want a soft, springy dough.
7. Put the dough back into the bowl and cover with clinfilm or a towel. Allow it to rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours.
8. When the dough is ready, preheat the oil in a deep-fryer to 170°C.
9. Place the icing sugar in a large plastic sandwich bag and set aside.
10. Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into rectangles(2×3 inches is ideal).
11.Lower a couple of your beignets into the fryer and cook, flipping constantly, until they become a golden color (4-5 minutes). Cut open the first batch to check it is cooked through. If not, alter the temperature and cooking time accordingly.
12. After beignets are fried, drain them for a few seconds on paper towels, and then toss them into the bag of icing sugar. Hold the bag closed and shake to coat evenly.
13. When all of the beignets are cooked, top with more of the icing sugar and serve whilst still warm.
Mastication / Destination 