I thought long and hard before making these beignets today. I’d already made my first twisted Korean donuts (Kkwabaegi 꽈배기) last night.
Too much? Nah.
They’re for my next door neighbors Christina and Dominic, who are currently in flux between their home and a temporary rental for her father. Elmo suffered horrendous injuries from a car accident in California, where he lives. He almost didn’t make it.
I nearly missed delivering the Kkwabaegi, which turned out okay, about 75 percent of what I wanted from Maangchi’s recipe (below). I still need to perfect the rolling (clean surface, don’t flour!) and twisting part (mine were uneven and pointy), and the donuts themselves came out a tad dry and dense, with very little flavor.
Maybe let the dough rise for longer. I wonder what a two-day ferment in the fridge would do… Ooh with sourdough!
After going back and forth, I finally decided to go for it. Besides, BEIGNETS. Even if my neighbors couldn’t finish them and the twisted donuts, they’d be okay to eat for days and days after. Plus, they could freeze ‘em for three months.
I made the right decision.
Beignets were way better. But then, I could eat two dozen of these in one sitting without breaking a sweat.
I wasn’t the only one, wink, wink.
Sam of Sugar Spun Run creates easy-to-follow recipes with easy-to-find ingredients that result in very delicious bakes. I made my classic yellow birthday cake from her recipe.
Her beignets turned out well, too. I didn’t even need to go out and buy evaporated milk or shortening just for one recipe. Milk and butter, baby.
I could’ve rolled the dough out thicker, more 1/2” than 1/4”. My squares were more like rectangles and triangles, but I’ve never been good with numbers.
The main thing is the flavor and these had it in spades. After mixing, waiting (one rise), rolling, cutting, frying, and delivering, I sat down with my second cup of coffee — hickory, in honor of Cafe Du Monde — and ate five of these babies.
We went to Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans a long time ago, when I still carried our son James, after my husband lost his parents (who lived in Spring Hill, FL) back to back and had to drive over from Seattle to take care of their estate.
The beignets, and the hickory coffee, blew my mind. They’re one of my favorites, right up there with apple cider, blueberry, and New York style jelly-filled.
This recipe, like all Sugar Spun Run’s, is forgiving.
The only sticking point was whether I should follow the 1.5-min. per-side frying rule, or go by eye. I didn’t want the beignets to be undercooked.
In her video, Sam didn’t let them go too dark. Even if you do, which I did, they still tasted amazing.
Our dog Bungee thought so, too. (Don’t worry, we only gave him a little piece.)
As I happily rolled and fried today, I decided to make this a regular weekend habit — kind of like my personal bakery fresh sheet — to try out new recipes, check off my bucket list, and take care of our neighbor friends, who’ve been hit with back to back deaths in the family (Dominic’s mom died yesterday of double-pneumonia in Nevada).
I already have ideas for donuts around the world: Russian Ponchiki, Italian Zeppole, German Bavarian Bayerische Ausgezogene…
But next weekend, I’ll give the sweets a break, and make my tried-and-true bagels from Serious Eats. I also want to give samosas a try.
Beignets were the perfect ending to a three-month eating spree. Tomorrow, I’m going to buckle down and eat cleaner, allowing for Asian meals with rice, aka my beloved Korean jjigae and the occasional One-Pot Hainan Chicken Rice.
Wish me luck.