Beignets #1

Laissez les bons temps rouler, y’all.

These beignets are the real deal: a soft yeasted dough enriched with evaporated milk and eggs, chilled overnight, then rolled thin, cut into squares, and fried until they puff up into golden, airy pillows.

Bury them under a blizzard of powdered sugar and you’ve got a taste of Café Du Monde right in your kitchen.

The dough keeps in the fridge for several days, so you can fry up a fresh batch whenever the craving hits.

Pro Tips

• Chill the dough overnight. It’s not optional. The cold rest develops flavor and makes the sticky dough manageable enough to roll out.
• Roll thin, about ⅛ inch. Thicker dough won’t puff properly and you’ll end up with dense centers instead of that signature hollow, airy inside.
• Fry in small batches so the oil temperature stays steady. Crowding drops the heat and gives you greasy, heavy beignets.
• Dust with powdered sugar while they’re still hot so it sticks and melts slightly into the surface. Be generous. There’s no such thing as too much.

Variations

• Stuff them. Pipe in chocolate ganache, lemon curd, or Bavarian cream after frying for a filled beignet.
• Go savory. Skip the sugar and stuff with crawfish étouffée or boudin for a Cajun-style appetizer that’ll steal the show.