bringing home the bayou {beignets}

we just returned home from a road trip through the south

and boy do i have a lot of work to do

testing recipes 

in an attempt to duplicate

the wonderful things we ate

and writing thank you notes

to the wonderful friends new and old

who took us in

and filled our bellies

i was smitten, from my first bite

pillowy-billowy-sugary bliss

no matter how touristy, 

cafe du monde 

remains 

the beignet gold standard

introducing my husband to the decadent treat

during our recent stay in new orleans

delighted me

waking up this morning

to a breakfast of freshly made beignets

delighted him

Beignets
(printable recipe)

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (about 100-105 degrees)

1/2 cup + 2 Tbs granulated sugar

1 1/2 Tbs active dry yeast (1 1/2 envelopes)

2 large eggs--slightly beaten, room temperature

1 cup evaporated milk, room temperature

1/4 cup unsalted butter--melted

6-7 cups bread flour

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

peanut or other frying oil

mix the water and sugar in a bowl, then sprinkle the yeast on top and set aside for about 5 to 10 minutes.  the yeast should begin to bubble.  if it does not, your yeast might be bad....allow it to sit for 5 more minutes. if it does not start "feeding", then discard and start again.

meanwhile, whisk together the evaporated milk, eggs, salt and melted butter.

after 10 minutes or so, add 3 cups of flour to the yeast mixture and beat with a wooden spoon until it is well incorporated.  add the evaporated milk mixture to the flour mixture and beat with a wooden spoon.  Add 3 more cups of the flour and until all flour is incorporated. you are not making bread, so you do not want to knead too much.  Turn the dough (it should be a bit sticky), onto a floured surface and gently  pat in enough flour that will allow you to handle the dough, but do not aggressively knead it.  place in an oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.  place in warm place to double in size (alternately, you can place in the refrigerator overnight to rise).

when you are ready to fry up a batch of beignet, heat your oil to 370F.  roll your dough out to 1/2" thick, using a bit of flour if necessary to prevent sticking. cut dough with sharp knife or pizza cutter into squares (i like mine big).  let cut pieces sit about 5 minutes before frying in the hot oil (i do this so the yeast starts working again, so i get nice air pockets when i fry em up).  fry until golden, it will take just a few minutes.  do no overcrowd the pot.  let drain on kitchen paper and serve with copious amounts of powdered sugar.

and of course

a cup of cafe au lait.

and then

let out a howl

that would make

justin wilson proud

at cafe du monde

I Guarantee It {pecan pralines}

I have been to New Orleans exactly once.

And it was so long ago, that Emeril had a last name

I had made the trip with my brother and a friend, for a wedding reception

at the then, brand new, NOLA

I sorta remember that Gwyneth Paltrow was a guest at the reception and was aloof

It could be a made up memory. Albeit believable.

As it happens, it was April and Jazz Fest was in full swing.

 I don't even like Jazz

Actually, I kinda hate it

I like a melody

singy-song

which is definitely not Jazz

However

 Jazz Fest is amazing

 and thankfully

the music is varied

and the food

oh -the -food

beignets, apple pie on the griddle, po'boys, mufflalata, gumbo

made me want to grab Justin Wilson and kiss him smack on the mouth

of all the things I discovered, my favorite bar none, are

pralines

I like to pronounce it prawlines

(i was in fact born in the south)

makes me feel all warm inside

PRAWWWWWW-LINES

say it with me

and then get in the kitchen and make some

you won't be disappointed

I Guarantee It

Pecan Pralines
(printable recipe)
1 quart heavy cream

3 cups white sugar

generous pinch of salt

1 1/2 lbs toasted pecans

1 Tbs+1tsp lemon juice

1 Tbs unsalted butter

2 tsp vanilla

In a heavy bottomed pan, stir together the cream, sugar and salt. Place on low to med-low heat and pop in a candy thermometer.  Cook until thermometer reaches 234 degrees F.  The wait between 220 and 234 is lengthy..don't be tempted to up the heat to make it happen faster.  You can pretty much leave it alone until it reaches 220, at 220, stay in the kitchen checking on it frequently.  When it hits 230, watch it and start stirring, it will start to change colors at this point and you want to make sure the bottom doesn't burn. There will be brown bits, but just mix them in.  Stir, stir, stir.  When it hits 234, remove the thermometer and add the lemon juice, vanilla, butter and pecans. Stir to incorporate, then pop the thermometer back in and bring the temp back to 234. It will go a bit faster this time, keep an eye on it and stir occasionally to prevent burning on the bottom.  When it hits 234, spoon it out in dollops (i use a soup spoon), but you can make them as big or small as you like.  There are a lot of pecans in this, so make sure you get a nice mix of the caramelly goodness with it, so they will stick together.  Drop onto parchment lined cookie sheets, or aluminum foil that has been sprayed or greased lightly. One batch will make about 50 moderately sized pralines.

They will look like caramel until you cool them. As they cool and sit, they will begin to get a bit cloudy. That is a good thing. You are not looking for chewy here.

Let cool for a few hours.  They will keep for quite a while if you keep them in an airtight container in a dry place. 
Please, do not put in the fridge.