Birthday Time! Beignet Time!

The end of March is always a fun time at my house, because it’s birthday time! My daughter’s and my birthdays are just a week apart, and I admit that even at my advanced age, I still get excited about mine. One of the challenges of having a birthday in March is that the weather is so unpredictable it’s hard to make plans that might involve being outside. On my 21st birthday the day was so warm and balmy I remember riding the Staten Island ferry wearing summer clothes. That might have been one of my best birthday’s ever, but that is another story.

When she was five I toiled over a birthday cake for Rachel which was OK, but not worth all the work… That was the last birthday cake I made until her twelfth birthday when I made the Snickers candy bar cake from Food Network magazine, which was more assembling than making a cake, but was a huge hit. If there is a Snickers lover in your house I recommend it, it was super easy and really tastes and looks like a Snickers bar.

Over the years we’ve had all kinds of birthday parties for Rachel, including many sleepovers, all of which culminated in beignets for breakfast. I think that’s really the reason she wanted a sleepover—so she could get beignets and cake in a 24 hour time frame. I generally use a mix to make them, and I’ve used both Café du Monde’s mix as well as New Orleans Gourmet beignet mix, which I like a little better. This year we made them from scratch, with a yeast dough, so get ready to join us on a birthday trip to NOLA!

One of the reasons I’ve avoided making beignets from scratch before was wanting to avoid making a yeast dough, thinking it would be a pain. I have no idea why as I’ve made bread plenty of times… We’ll chalk it up to not wanting to take it on while hosting ten little girls who have been up all night. This year, with no party and no all-nighter preceding I was up early and got my dough proofing by 8:00.  By 10:00 we had a beautiful dough ready to go. If you make these you really need a crowd. We made about 36, and though we gave a  bunch to our neighbors we still had a lot left, and no one wants a cold beignet!

It just so happened that last week I made some mixed berry coulis, and there was some left. We tried dipping, the beignets in that, but the best was poking a hole in one side and pouring the sauce into it. It was like the best ever jelly donut! I don’t even like jelly donuts, but this was the jelly donut of my dreams. Making a coulis is very simple, put some fruit (I used frozen wild blueberries and raspberries) about 1/4 cup of sugar per cup of fruit and some lemon zest and juice in a pan, cook until the berries burst and the mixture is bubbly. I strained ours because the raspberries are so seedy, but usually I don’t.

Just for the record, beignets are a rare treat here, we have them once or twice a year, but now that I’ve made them from scratch I’ll never go back to making them from a mix; the difference is remarkable. I’m not sure what we’ll be doing for my birthday, but I’m open to suggestions, what is your favorite birthday treat?

Buttermilk Beignets

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Serves	10
Prep time	2 hours, 30 minutes
Cook time	30 minutes
Total time	3 hours
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Bread, Breakfast
Misc	Serve Hot
Occasion	Casual Party, Christmas

Ingredients

• 1 cup lukewarm water (about 110 degrees F)
• 1 packet active yeast (.25 oz)
• 1/2 cup sugar (plus 1 tsp.)
• 4 cups flour (plus more for kneading dough)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons butter (melted)
• oil for frying
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Note

This recipe will make 30-35 beignets.

And can be made with any type of milk, I had buttermilk on hand, and it made a terrific beignet.

Directions

Step 1

In a small bowl dissolve yeast and add 1 tsp of sugar in water Let sit about 5-7 minutes until mixture gets bubbly and foamy Melt butter and let cool

Step 2

Put the flour, remaining sugar and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook In another bowl lightly beat egg yolks, buttermilk, vanilla, and butter then add that to dry ingredients With the mixer on low, continue to mix the ingredients with the for five minutes. Dough should b silky and a bit sticky

Step 3

Drizzle a small amount of oil in a large bowl, then turn dough into bowl. Turn dough around to coat the entire surface with the oil. Cover with a dish towel, and leave in a warm place for two hours, until dough doubles in size

Step 4

Turn dough onto a lightly floured board or counter and knead lightly five or six times, then roll out into a 1/2" thick rectangle About 10"x12" Cut into 2" squares

Step 5

Put enough oil in a fryer or wok to a depth of 3" Heat oil to 350 degrees F Fry in batches of 4-6 at a time depending on space. Do not crowd them (I use my wok for this because I get a lot of surface area) Fry for 2-3 minutes turning frequently, until both sides are golden brown Drain on paper towels, and when still warm cover with sifted powdered sugar to coat well Serve at once