Beignets from New Orleans!

Well, here I am in New Orleans! Andrew and I are here visiting friends and we enjoyed Mardi Gras- his first ever! I am back in the city for the first time in 6 year- I spent my first 2 years of college at Tulane University in New Orleans and it is an amazing city that I have really missed! The food here is fantastic. My mom was a good cook and I always enjoyed her food, but New Orleans was where I learned that food could be an experience. You know what I mean?



One of the quintessential New Orleans experiences is beignets from Cafe Du Monde. You wait in line to get these fabulous little pillows of delicious fried dough, covered in powdered sugar, and they have this amazing chickory coffee! I had many a beignet late at night after spending the evening in the French Quarter, dancing with friends.



Here is a recipe for beignets from Paula Deen Celebrates!, that cookbook that I cooked through last year. This recipe was from the Mardi Gras Party, and they were delicious! Enjoy! (Please note that the recipe makes 60 beignets- can you imagine eating 60 doughnuts? Feel free to halve of ever quater it!)

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 envelope active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs, well beaten
1 cup evaporated milk
7 cups bread flour
1/4 cup vegtabel shortening
1 quart canola oil, for frying
Confectioner's sugar, for dusting

Directions
Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.
In another bowl, beat the eggs, salt and evaporated milk together. Mix egg mixture to the yeast mixture. In a separate bowl, measure out the bread flour. Add 3 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add the shortening and continue to stir while adding the remaining flour. Remove dough from the bowl, place onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray. Put dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.
Add the confectioners' sugar to a paper or plastic bag and set aside.
Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 1-inch squares. Deep-fry, flipping constantly, until they become a golden color. After beignets are fried, drain them for a few seconds on paper towels, and then toss them into the bag of confectioners' sugar. Hold bag closed and shake to coat evenly.



This is what they looked like when I made them at home. Yummy!