New Orleans Beignets

A while back I got a craving for doughnuts.  But not just any doughnuts, I wanted Krispy Kreme.  (I do love that about being pregnant; I don't have to have any reason to crave something like doughnuts.)

No, I didn't make Krispy Kreme doughnuts, but I made something else--something similar--that was amazingly delicious. 

While searching for a method for stir-frying some vegetables and tofu for dinner, I got side-tracked in The Joy of Cooking.  I found myself in the "Doughnuts, Cruelers, and Pastries" section, debating whether or not I could make beignets.

I had never eaten a beignet before in my life.  But I'd heard good things about them, so it was worth a try.  (The stir-fry?  Yeah, whatever.) I ended up using the recipe from the Joy of Cooking.  It is very simple, and uses only minimal ingredients.  The dough is essentially a sweet yeast biscuit.  Fried.

It requires a bit of advanced planning, in that you mix the dough up the day before, and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. 



The next morning the hardest part is rolling the cold dough onto a floured surface while you wait for oil in a heavy pot to get hot enough to fry.  Even I can handle that.

One of the highlights of this experiment is how I discovered that the easiest way to cut the squares is with a pizza cutter.  Some people have biscuit cutters, but I'm not that fancy. 

It is super fun to watch them cook. They puff up while they cook, so they're almost like little doughnut balloons.  (That means fewer calories, right?  I mean, since they're mostly air . . . .)

Another highlight:  It's really no more labor-intensive than making waffles.  Of course, waffles don't involve deep frying, but can you imagine if they did?  Are the wheels turning in your head, too?  We may be on to something.

It only takes a matter of minutes for the dough to become delicious puffed fritters.  About 3 minutes for each batch.  If you're having a brunch, this would be a super impressive, and quick to serve, part of your menu.

 

Another thing I learned:  If you use a cheap candy thermometer, make sure you have it tied securely.  The string I was using rebelled and untied itself, so my thermometer went swimming in 300+ degree oil.  It took me a minute to figure out how to get it out (with tongs, then it was transferred to a big wad of paper towels).  Apparently the top of the thermometer was not meant to be submerged in oil.  Go figure.

That thermometer did sacrifice for a worthy cause.

See that section at about 2-3 o'clock?  Yeah, I ate those before I took the picture.  And then I ate several others.  They taste kind of like funnel cake.  Only, more delicious.  And you don't have to wait for the fair.

Have you ventured into trying something new?  Do tell!  Link up with Alicia's Try New Adventures, too!