beignets and doughnuts!

ummm... you wanna know why i made beignets... it's funny, and you'll never guess it...

it's not because i watched "the best thing i ever ate' " on the food network, or because i came across a recipe in one of my gourmet magazines...

you ready for this...

it's because i watched Disney's "the princess and the frog"... that's why!!

i never have gotten a food craving from a cartoon before... this is like a totally new level... getting hungry watching illustrated food... it has never happened before... not even during the "be our guest" number in beauty and the beast... well maybe because the food had faces and was dancing about the table... the only thing i wanted from that scene was a foamy glass of beer out of one of those steins...you know you did too :) ... and not even in ratatouille... remy's food descriptions were music to my ears, but i never came away from that movie craving anything... but leave it to two talking frogs to make me go bonkers for fried food!

when trying to explain a beignet to my hubs, i best described them as a cross between a donut and a zeppoli, 2 things we new yorkers are famous for!! as soon as i said that he was on board! so i broke out the dutch oven and a crap load of fry oil and got ready!

now these beignets come courtesy of paula deen... and man... they were crispy on the outside and so light and fluffy on the inside... and with the perfect amount of sweetness on the outside... sooo good!!

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup sugar
1 envelope active dry yeast
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup evaporated milk
7 cups bread flour
1/4 cup shortening
Nonstick spray
Oil, for deep-frying
confectioners' sugar for dusting

directions:
1. mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes
2. in another bowl, beat the eggs, salt and evaporated milk together, then mix egg mixture to the yeast mixture
3. in a separate bowl, measure out the bread flour, add 3 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and stir to combine
4. add the shortening and continue to stir while adding the remaining flour
5. remove dough from the bowl, place onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth
6. spray a large bowl with nonstick spray, put dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel, and let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours

when dough is ready:
1. preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F (i used a dutch over to fry these in, so keep a good and close eye on the oil temp!)
2. roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 1-inch squares, or any size you'd like, i went with 3 inch rectangles, basically i just eyeballed it :)
3. toss 'em in and deep-fry, flipping constantly, until they become a golden color
4. after beignets are fried, drain them for a few seconds on paper towels and then shake on some confectioners sugar to give them that lovely southern sweetness

and why now go all out... if i'm frying dough, i better be making a few donuts while i'm at it... these suckers were glazed with a thick helping of confectioners sugar mixer with heavy cream and a splash of vanilla extract... ahhh... just like wawa makes!!


Cuisson heureux tout le monde
(which according to this online translator means "happy baking everyone" in french)