Beignet There, Done That

Beignets - the official doughnut of Louisiana, and a tasty little French concoction made by my friend Mary. Mary and I met in high school. Her parents are both from France, as is her husband. Needless to say, Mary lives and breathes everything French (including the wine from their vineyard). When we were teenagers, I loved eating dinner at her house. Mostly, because her mother cooked every night, but also because it was French cooking. Madame Oudin had a way of making even simple fried potatoes - pommes de terre sautee - sound and taste better. Anyway, through the miracle of Facebook, I recently learned that Mary and her mother were making beignets, and immediately latched onto the idea that she must also teach me to do the same. One girls weekend later - voila! Now, my favorite part of the recipe was when she told us the story of  when she asked her aunt (in France) for the recipe, she began by replying (in French, mais oui) "well, it all depends how many eggs the hens laid that day". I love that way of cooking, but it is frustrating when trying to recreate family favorites. Anyway, Mary, practical as she is, responded to her Aunt "imagine the hens laid six eggs today and go from there". The end result is worth it, but once again, a very labor and time intense process: 16 hours and a lot of sifting, beating, rising, punching, rolling, cutting and frying. We may have killed our yeast as our rising was less than successful (after two tries), but otherwise tres manifique.

Of course the story about the hens makes me think of one thing - I Love Lucy and the baby chick episode. One of the first after the Ricardos gave up city life and moved to Connecticut. They were having trouble paying their bills due to Lucy's overspending on new furniture so their house could be featured in House and Garden Magazine. Ricky, upset with the 'spenses' agrees to Lucy's nutty idea to raise chickens and sell the eggs. The Mertzes join in and hilarity ensues when Fred's unfinished hen house can't accommodate the 500 baby chicks bought by Lucy and Ethel. They decide house them in Ricky's den to keep them warm, turning up the heat in the house to sauna like levels, forcing everyone to don various states of undress. That seems to be working until Little Ricky leaves the den door open and the chicks escape. As her luck always had it, Lucy is running around like a chicken with her head cut off trying to herd the babies just as the magazine people show up, and her hopes of being portrayed as a glamorous homemaker are dashed. I know the feeling (and have the t-shirt to prove it).

Le Recipe:

1 packet dry active yeast

½ c milk

¾ c softened butter

¼ c sugar

½ tsp salt

4 c sifted flour

3 eggs

4 egg yolks

Vegetable or other frying oil

Scald the milk. Mix butter, sugar, salt in a large bowl. Pour scalded milk over mixture. Allow to stand until luke warm. Mix in ½ c sifted flour. Stir in the softened yeast. Beat in (with a spoon) 1 ½ c sifted flour. Add the 3 eggs and 4 yolks one a t a time, beating in after each addition. Continue to beast the dough until it becomes soft. Add the final 2 c flour and beat thoroughly (for at least 5 minutes). Turn into a buttered bowl large enough for the mixture to double. Cover with waxed paper and a kitchen towel. Put in a warm (80 degree) place (best if you have a “proofing” setting on your oven) and allow to rise.

When doubled in size, punch down with fist, butter surface and cover again. Set in refrigerator at least 12 hours, punching down when necessary (I think this is a good recipe after a stressful day at work).

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Cut into quarters and set pieces aside while you roll out each section of dough. Cut (a pizza wheel works well, although not very French) into diamond shapes.  Heep oil in a heavy pot ( my guess is to about 360 degrees and try to maintain that temp) and add dough, several pieces at a time for about 30 – 40 seconds turning over after the first side is browned (this will go very quickly). Drain on a paper towel, transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with sugar and voila!

Makes about 4 dozen.