Beignets (literally fritters) are very popular in France. There is a similar product that is very typical of New Orleans, although the recipe that I present to you is the French one. They are quite easy to do.
INGREDIENTS :
- 500gr (1.1 lbs) of flour
- 150gr (5.3 oz) of sugars
- 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
- 1 packet of baking soda
- 30 g (1 oz) butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 150 ml (3/4 cup) milk
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch of nutmeg
- 1 pinch of cinnamon
- Icing sugar
- Sunflower, canola or corn oil (to fry)
In a bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar and the melted butter. When they are well mixed we add the milk, flour, yeast, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg and beat until a homogeneous dough is formed.
Flour a smooth kitchen surface - marble, a board, etc. - and with the help of a rolling pin, we roll out the dough until it reaches a thickness of 1 cm (0.4 inches). With the help of a glass turned upside down, for example, we cut circles of about 4 cm (1.6 inches) in diameter.
We heat abundant oil in a pan and when it is almost about to smoke we incorporate the circles that we have cut with the inverted glass. Put a few at a time, avoid that they touch each other and above all that there is plenty of oil. The beignets will inflate immediately, floating to the top, and within a few minutes they will be golden brown. They are removed immediately and placed on absorbent paper.
They are served hot or seasonally, sprinkling icing sugar on top.
In France you will find them in many shapes, spherical like fritters, like donuts, filled with cream or chocolate or even fruit. They are all really good, whatever the shape they have.