New Orleans Style Beignets

I was born and raised on the sunny Gulf Coast of Florida. Most people know it for its pristine sugar white beaches and clear Bahamas like water; you know, the vacation destinations of the Destine, Panama City, and Pensacola area. The boarders of Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi all meet near the tip of West Florida. Mobile, Alabama is less than an hour’s drive and New Orleans is about three.

Much ado is made over New Orleans’s Bourbon Street and Mardi Gras. However; if you make a sober visit in the morning, say around 10:00 a.m. the stench alone will peel back the glamour of the party scene. Sadly, if you are a big partier, your blurry eyes and pounding Pat O’Bryan’s Hurricane size head ache may obscure some of the best parts of New Orleans.

Port cities are usually a fascinating mixture of extremes, kind of like a treasure hunter’s paradise. High society and low often find themselves mingling at the water’s edge. The upper crusts browse for fascinating new imports and treasures as they bargain with the low life port dwellers and cargo sailor types. It is as fun to watch the tourists as it is to be one.


The real beauty of the Crescent City is its peaceful co-existence of southern charm and grace along side the pirate like Cajuns who carved out a rough life in the alligator infested swamps. Oh, and beware of offending the third tribal subculture lest you find yourself stinging from the prick of a voodoo doll. Where else does the beauty of ornate rod-iron balconies and old white columned southern plantation homes blend into one flowing eclectic and sometimes smelly yet beautiful city like New Orleans?

One of the historic district’s greatest treasures beside Jackson Square, southern plantation homes, and Audubon Park (Zoo) are the unique restaurants that have long ago ensconced themselves around the water’s edge. The Gulf Coast shrimp baskets, Gumbo, Po-boy sandwiches, pecan pralines, and divinity are distinct flavors of historic New Orleans no doubt. But, one of the oldest (1862) and tastiest treats is found at Café Du Monde.

The original Café Du Monde is an open air French donut and coffee shop adjacent to Jackson square. You will most likely have to wait to be seated at one of its overhead fan cooled patio tables. The trumpet and trombone jazz playing musicians usually loiter out side the green and white stripped awning eager to entertain you if you have to wait. Of course the outdoor seating is on a first come first serve basis but these yeasty powder-sugar dusted donuts, chicory coffee with sweetened condensed milk, or ice cold milk are worth the wait even in the steamy heat.

For years I have been looking for a recipe that duplicates the flavor of the Café Du Monde French beignets, to no avail. Café Du Monde sells a good and very easy box mix in their shop and in some stores. (last time I was in Fresh Market on Franklin Rd. they carried it) but I just wanted to make them myself. Finally!!! I have found the closest one to it and here it is…

Yesterday, I pulled a switch. I ground some fresh soft white pastry flour and used agave in the dough. I tucked some semi-sweet chocolate chips in the middle of the dough and deep fried them in coconut oil. I didn’t tell my company or family that this guilty culinary confection was "healthified" with whole wheat flour and fried in healthy coconut oil. I shook them in a brown paper bag with powdered sugar – not totally sugar free - but this was a significant sugar reduction and as about a healthy as a fried, sugar topped dough ball can be. Yum!


Beignet Recipe - Café Du Monte Style

(Healthier version)
Makes 18 beignets

3/4 cup lukewarm water (or sugar substitute - 1 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar)

1/4 scant (less) cup agave

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg, room temperature & beaten

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup evaporated milk

4 cups bread flour (or freshly ground soft white whole wheat)

3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast

Grape seed oil or coconut oil*Powdered sugar for dusting

* Use just enough oil to completely cover beignets while frying.

Using a mixer with a dough hook, place water, sugar, salt, egg, butter, evaporated milk, flour, and yeast in the bowl. Beat until smooth.

If using a bread machine, select dough setting and press Start. When dough cycle has finished, remove dough from pan and turn out onto a lightly oiled surface. Form dough into an oval, place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until well chilled (3 to 4 hours) or overnight.

To prepare dough, remove from refrigerator and roll out on a lightly floured board to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into approximately 3-inch squares or circles.

(I usually don't wait , but immediately pinch 1 teaspoon size bits of dough and go ahead and cook )

In a deep fryer or large pot, heat vegetable oil to 360 degrees F. Fry the beignets (2 or 3 at a time) 2 to 3 minutes or until they are puffed and golden brown on both sides, turning them in the oil with tongs once or twice to get them evenly brown; beignets will rise to the surface of the oil as soon as they begin to puff.

NOTE: If the beignets don't rise to the top immediately when dropped into the oil, the oil is not hot enough.

Remove from oil and drain on paper towels, then sprinkle heavily with powdered sugar. I use tongs to remove them from the oil and put them right into a brown paper lunch size bag along with 1/4 - 1/3 cup of powder sugar. Shake and serve hot.

NOTE: The dough can be kept for up to a week in the refrigerator - it actually improves with age; just punch down when it rises. Dough can also be frozen; cut and roll, or shape doughnuts before freezing.)

Option: place 3-5 semi-sweet chocolate chips on dough square and fold over. Press out any trapped air and cook.

Or shake in brown sugar cinnamon.


To learn more about Café Du Monde check out:
http://www.cafedumonde.com/coffee.html

Homemade Mayo

As a kid, every summer our family would leave behind the sticky heat and heavy wet air of Florida and drive two days to the corn belt of Illinois. After what seemed like an eternity, we would to pull into the gravel drive way of the two story white farm house where my father was born and raised. To our amazement we would sleep with the windows open as a chilly breeze charged the quiet and peaceful night air. We actually had to wear sweaters at night; but by day, though hot, the heat was crisp. It was kid heaven. We ran carefree in cut-offs and tennis shoes from sunrise to sunset. Warm days were filled with 4-H county fairs, community parades, baby farm animals and riding a red Cushman scooter up and down dusty roads between the corn fields. Simple, but flavor packed lunches and dinners always included plenty of fresh picked sweet corn and vine ripe tomatoes.

Sometimes our Yankee cousins - talked funny. We were always amused to learn of familiar items with different northern names or totally unfamiliar items like corn relish, pork loin sandwiches (kind of like southern fried chicken steak on a hoagie bun), and tractor pulls.

When we asked for mayonnaise on our sandwiches my aunt would have to translate to the cousins– Oh, they mean “salad dressing” or “sandwich spread”. When we looked at the jar of the same product that we bought in our southern grocery stores – sure enough – that familiar white goop was labeled “salad dressing”.


Mayonnaise is simply an emulsion of oil and eggs with a little salt and acid. Sounds easy to prepare when you think about it doesn’t it? Unfortunately, like most store bought food products the bottom line of mass production is profit. Profit in the food industry translates into long shelf life which further translates into added preservatives which equals one more brick in the wall to building an unhealthy body. Homemade mayonnaise usually tastes better, is healthier, is less expensive and is certainly fresher.

After I checked the ingredients on my standard store bought mayo jar, with it’s preservatives, then compared it against the little half pint health food brand that cost $8.00 I decided to start making my own. Egg and oil in the blender – how difficult could that be?

This recipe is not the white creamy goop in the jar that you are used to but it is very flavorful and healthy. I use it all the time now and my family has not even noticed the switch.


Homemade Mayo
(I always double this recipe)

1 cup light Olive Oil
1 egg (or 2 eggs for a thicker mayo)
Juice of 1 lemon (or red wine vinegar)
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
A pinch of salt
Fresh ground pepper

Put mustard, lemon, and egg into the blender (or food processor). Blend on low for a minute or less. While blender is on low, drizzle in the oil in as slowly as you can.

If you like a thicker mayo, use two eggs or just the egg yolks. After refrigeration it will thicken more.

Pour into glass jar and seal. I like to use wide mouth mason jars. They now make a plastic screw on lid for canning jars of most sizes. I use the wide mouth quart and pint jars for most of my soup, sauces and leftovers.


Don’t be afraid of the fat. The Low fat diet craze has proven to be unsound. Yes, bad fats are bad for us and good fads that are heated up too high are bad for us but we now know that good fats protect against heart disease, stroke and inflammation as well as type 2 diabetes. This recipe contains good fat. Enjoy with a good conscience.