Beignets

French or New Orleans style?  Each have their offerings and each are wonderful with powdered sugar and coffee, also Nutella, yummy!  The main difference is that French, use eggs and no yeast, a Choux pastry which is easy and rich to make.  New Orleans style, Cafe Du Monde, no eggs, and yes, yeast.  Each are delicious in their own and sometimes I just make one over the other for my mood, to me they are two separate snacks, or desserts.

With all the tasting my fingers were too sticky to take my own pictures of the beignets, so I am afraid I am forced to make them again. In the mean time the recipes I used for them were as follows:

Cafe Du Monde, picked up a box from a world market store and followed directions, yes, a bit cheating, but it is the theirs that is so famous for the area, so I wanted to compare the best with the other recipe.

The other one which requires the recipe is here below:

Beignets with Pate a Choux

Ingredients

1 cup water (8 fl oz, 240 ml)

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces (1/2 cup, 4 oz, 113 grams)

large pinch kosher salt

2 TBSP granulated sugar (0.8 oz, 24 grams)

1 cup all-purpose flour (4.5 oz, 127 grams)

4 large eggs

oil for frying (canola, vegetable)

powdered sugar for topping

Instructions

1. Place water, butter, sugar, and salt in a sauce pot over medium high heat. Stir until butter is melted

and everything comes to a boil.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add flour into the mixture all at once while stirring quickly. Continue to stir

and cook off the moisture in the dough until it pulls away from the sides and starts to form into a ball.

This should take about a minute.

3. Place dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl if using a

hand mixer. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes. ( I used a whisk)

4. With the mixer on medium-low speed, add eggs in one at a time. Do not add another egg until the

one before has been completely absorbed into the batter. The batter will look smooth and glossy

when ready. 

5. Chill the batter in the refrigerator for at least an hour and up to overnight.

6. Heat at least 2 inches of oil in a pan over medium-high heat to 350F. (I use a electric skillet for this)

7. Use a small scoop or a spoon to drop about 1 TBSP of batter per beignet into the oil. They will puff

up considerably. Fry in batches.

8. Turn beignets after several minutes and continue to cook until each side is golden, the beignet is

puffed, and it is started to create a seam (the dough will start to burst creating a seam when it is

ready). This will take about 7-9 minutes of frying. Be patient so that the inside is not uncooked.

Drain on brown paper bags.

9. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately

http://bakerbettie.com/homemade-beignets-pate-choux/

Inspired by Giada