Have you ever tried to make beignets?

Beignets are like small, deep fried doughnuts, but airier. They are typically associated with New Orleans or Disneyland, but they are also a fantastic Sunday Brunch just waiting to happen.

The recipe for these delightful and delicious beignets can be found on the Tasting Table website and is fairly easy to create. However, they still require a couple hours of preparation time. This is because while the dough is easy to make and when they are cooked they come out in minutes, once the dough is prepared it needs to sit out for two hours. 

Most of the ingredients are fairly common, such as: eggs, flour, sugar baking powder, and salt. You will also need to buy Canola oil and ricotta cheese.

The one extraneous ingredient is a whole vanilla bean. Don’t look in the bean aisle at the supermarket though, because unlike the garbanzo’s, vanilla beans can be found in the baking aisle, usually in a small, glass spice jar.

A whole vanilla bean is actually kind of expensive, usually around ten dollars. Don’t worry though, you only need one and it is beyond worth it when the beignets are done.

To start the cooking process, split and scrape the vanilla bean. This is a bit difficult, but after that the dough preparation is smooth sailing. Whisk the bean and the eggs in one bowl and the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in another.

Then make a hole in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the egg mixture and the ricotta cheese. Stir and combine into one. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then put the bowl in a dry and warm area for 2-5 hours. The batter will expand and become airy.

When the dough is ready, heat the oil over medium in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or pot until it is boiling hot. You can use your judgment when deciding whether or not the oil is ready to fry the dough or use a glass thermometer to see if the oil has reached 350 degrees.

The directions online say to use two inches of oil, but having tested the recipe, more will probably be required. The pot needs enough oil to make the balls of dough float as they fry.

Use a tablespoon or something similar, (like a melon-baller), to drop little balls of batter into the boiling oil. The next part is both fun and adorable. If there is enough oil the beignets will be able to flip over on their own when they are properly browned.

Monitor your first batch carefully, because if there isn’t enough oil you will have to act fast and turn them yourself. But when they do turn on their own it is pretty cute.

When they have been properly fried golden-brown, scoop them out and place them on a plate with a paper towel on top. Don’t let them cool for more than a couple minutes before serving.

When you serve them, shower them with a generous coating of powdered confectioners’ sugar to enhance the deliciousness. Now you can relish your creation. These beignets are little bites of absolute heaven; try this recipe and you’ll have a brunch item that is unique, memorable, and absolutely fabulous.

 

Reach Staff Reporter Geanna Crisanta here