Beignets

Yield: 2 dozen
Prep: 3 hours
Cook: 20 minutes

It's hard to fathom it, but the loud and proud thrumming of the Louisiana we walk today is but a fraction of what came before. Beneath her present surface lies a vast, intricate tapes­try of intertwined histories that would physi­cally overwhelm if unraveled at once. Those uncareful might use the term "melting pot," but I think Louisiana, and New Orleans in particu­lar, is more suited to a "powder keg" of Acadian, Creole, African, and Francophone cultures. To give a bit of context as to why there's so much Frenchness in this town: the state of Louisiana was but a smidgen of the land claimed in the name of King Louis XIV, who reigned over it as part of New France, a French-controlled district that extended from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes from 1682 to 1762. I'll leave the rest to the historians.

Even further back than that, however, lies the simple truth: humans the world over have long loved to deep-fry dough, and fried dough is precisely what beignet means in French. Name a shape, filling, size, composition, and method-it has universally been done before. To risk being thrown into the bayou, I'll say that the beignet is nothing too unique in this matter. But oh how it sings when done the New Orleans way.

The beignet's existence in town is thanks to the Creoles, and it's inextricably tied to coffee and how the Acadians like to drink it: married with chicory and scalded milk, the cafe au lait. Both coffee and beignets are the specialty of one Cafe Du Monde on Decatur Street, the de facto authority on these fritters. The cafe fries them up with fervor, shrouds them in a cloud of powdered sugar, and doles them out in threes. They can barely keep pace with the demand. 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 (¼ oz/7g) packets or 4 ½ tsp active dry yeast 
• ½ cup (120ml) lukewarm tap water
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ cup (180ml) evaporated milk
• 4 cups (560g) all-purpose flour
• Canola, corn, or peanut oil, or lard, for frying
• Powdered sugar, for serving

METHOD

1. In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and whisk together. Let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Whisk in the egg, sugar, salt, and evaporated milk until well combined.
3. Using a spoon, mix in half of the flour. Continue to mix in the remaining half until it becomes workable with the hands. Knead the last of the flour into the dough in the bowl. Continue until you are able to form a smooth, round ball of dough. Alternatively, you may use a stand mixer with a dough hook.
4. Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and allow to rise in a warm place for a minimum of 2 hours. Dough should typically double in size. 
5. Once risen, add the oil or lard to a large pot or Dutch oven to a depth of 3 inches (7.5cm) and heat to 365°F (185°C).
6. Transfer the dough to a well-floured workspace and roll out to a thickness of ½ inch (1.3cm). Using a knife or pizza wheel, cut the dough into large, 2½-inch (6.4cm) squares.
7. Carefully drop the pieces into the hot fat, no more than 3 at a time. Flip after about a minute or so, and repeat the process until the beignets are a deep golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack or other surface topped with paper towels to absorb excess fat. Allow them to cool and dry briefly.
8. Prepare in batch sizes that allow you to serve the beignets warm and dusted liberally with powdered sugar.