Mrs Mangú: Traditional New Orleans Beignets

1/28/07

Traditional New Orleans Beignets

Traditional New Orleans Beignets

Beignets are a New Orleans staple and if you’ve never tried one of these hot doughnuts, you’re truly missing out. Beignets are the New Orleans version of a French fritter. They’re served hot, usually 3 or 4 per serving, and they’re topped with lots of powdered sugar. Café du Monde is probably the most famous place in the city to buy these but there are plenty of other quaint little places to try them. Beignets are traditionally enjoyed with a good cup of hickory coffee or café au lait.

Yield: approximately 2 dozen

1 cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon salt
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons butter, softened
Vegetable oil for deep frying
Confectioner’s sugar

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes. Add sugar, egg, milk and salt. Whisk until combined. Gradually stir in 2 cups of flour and stir until smooth.

Stir in butter and slowly add the rest of the flour, ¼ cup at a time. Mix by hand until butter is completely incorporated. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Place dough on a floured cutting board, punch down and roll out to 1/8 inch thick.

Using a pizza cutter, cut into rectangles, approximately 2 x 3 inches.

Heat the oil in a large pot to 360 degrees.

Gently drop the dough in, a few at a time, and fry until they puff up and are golden brown, about 2 minutes

Drain on paper towel and top with plenty of Confectioner’s sugar. Serve hot with a cup of hickory coffee or café au lait

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Using Fresh Herbs

Basil - sweet and aromatic. Most of the basil I use is a nice dark green color, although there are many varieties. Use it in sauces, with most Thai foods, salads and vegetables, or anything with tomatoes in it. A little basil is delicious in tomato soup. Combine basil and garlic together with a little olive oil to rub on breads. Basil is great added to pasta. Also, if you eat something spicy you can relieve some of the heat in your mouth by chewing on a basil leaf. Don't wash the basil leaves until you're ready to use them. Wrap fresh basil in damp paper towels and seal in a plastic bag in the frig. It will last approximately 4 days that way.
Bay Leaf - used in bouquet garni when making stews and soups. Great for flavoring when braising meats, making gumbos, and in tomato sauces. You can add bay leaves early when cooking but remember to remove the leaves from the liquid before serving. Bay leaves are used a lot in both Creole and Cajun dishes as well.
Chives - have a mild onion flavor. Use chives in salads and on vegetables, in cream sauces, as a garnish to spruce up a dinner plate, or mix into scrambled eggs. Chives also go great with fish.
Cilantro - also called coriander or Chinese parsley. It's leaves are similar to parsley but have a hint of citrus. I use cilantro in a lot of my cooking. It's used often in Mexican and other Hispanic cuisines as well as in Indian curries. When you use fresh cilantro, don't add it to your dish until the very end of the cooking process or it will lose all it's flavor. Use it to flavor rice dishes, beans and salsa, or combine with butter to place on top of a hot steak or fish. It's great combined with lime. Cilantro also makes a nice garnish; either the whole leaves or chopped coarsley.
Culantro - until recently, has not been commonly used in the United Sates. It's used in dishes throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, especially in Puerto Rico where it's referred to as recao. Cultantro is a relative of cilantro and the aroma is similar, although culantro is more pungent and flavorful. Use it to flavor beans and soups, rice dishes and stews. Culantro is also seen in recipes for Asian dishes, particularly Chinese and Vietnamese.
Dill - is used a lot with eggs. Add to scrambled eggs, omelets and egg salads. Mix a few tablespoons of dill into cream cheese for a delicious dip. Dill is also great with fish and shellfish or in vinaigrettes.
Oregano - many Mediterranean and Italian dishes use oregano. Oregano is a member of the mint family and it's strong, so you don't need a lot of it. Add to your tomato sauces, on pizza or in rice dishes. I also add sprigs of oregano to the cavity of a whole chicken or turkey.
Parsley - I use a lot of flat leaf, or Italian parsley. It's widely available and it's a little stronger than curly leaf parsley. Parsley is not only good as an all-purpose seasoning but it makes a great garnish as well. Add to tomato sauces, mix with softened butter and lemon juice to top a steak or a piece of fish. Mix some parley and butter and combine with boiled potatoes or add it to shrimp scampi. Use it in your stews and soups, salad dressings, in bouquet garni and to top vegetables.
Rosemary - When using fresh rosemary pull the needles off and discard the stems. Rosemary is very aromatic and you don't need to use a lot of it. It's great mixed with olive oil and other herbs to make a dip for breads. Add it to your marinades for meat, fish or poultry.
Sage - Sage is almost always used in stuffing for chicken or turkey. It's a very aromatic herb so use it sparingly. Add to the cavity of whole chickens or turkeys. Combine with softened butter to top a piece of fish. It's also great in stews and soups.
Tarragon - tastes a bit like licorice. It's very versatile and can be used in mustard sauces, dips, added to mayonnaise and herbed butters, or added to a bit of oil and vinegar for a salad. Tarragon can be used with poultry, fish, pork and eggs.