New Orleans Beignets (Cafe du Monde style)

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup lukewarm water (not hot: about 105 degrees F)
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening (softened)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 egg, beaten
4 cups (approximately) all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil for frying
Confectioner's sugar in a sifter

DIRECTIONS:

Pour lukewarm water into a large bowl, stir in the sugar, and sprinkle yeast
over it.  Mix well and place in a warm place for 10 minutes.

Stir the shortening and salt into the yeast mixture.  Add the evaporated milk,
the egg, 2 cups of the flour, and mix well with a spoon.  Now add the additional
flour 1/4 cup at a time, mixing well.  When the mixture becomes too stiff to
stir easily with the spoon, turn out onto a floured surface and continue to mix
in flour 1/4 cup at a time, kneading by hand.  Add only enough flour to make the
dough smooth and not sticky.

Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature until
doubled in bulk (you can also let it rise overnight in the refrigerator).  Punch
the dough down, place on a floured surface, and roll out until about 1/2''
thick.  Use a sharp knife and cut into rectangles about 2'' wide and 3" long.
Place rectangles on a floured baking sheet in a warm place and let rise about 40
minutes.

Place about 3" vegetable oil in a heavy saucepan and heat over medium or a
little higher heat to 350-360 degrees F.  (See note below about importance of
temperature).  Place 2-3 beignets in the oil at a time, flip them as soon as
they are golden brown on the bottom, and cook until golden brown on the other
side.  They should cook very quickly if the temperature is right, so begin
checking them immediately after placing in oil.  When golden brown on both
sides, place on paper-towel lined plates to cool, sprinkle powdered sugar very
generously over them and serve hot (preferably with cafe au lait---see recipe
below).

NOTE:  The temperature of the frying oil is very important.  It is highly
advisable to use a cooking thermometer to to ensure consistent results.  At the
correct temperature, the beignets should pop to the surface and puff up almost
immediately when placed in the oil, and cook rapidly.  If the temperature is too
low they will not pop up quickly and will get soggy with oil before cooking; if
it is too high the outside of the beignets will burn (dark brown) before the
inside is completely done. You may have to adjust the ideal temperature a little
to optimize for your setup, but 350-360 degrees F should be about right.

(Cafe du Monde sells a beignet mix that you can order from them or find in some
stores.  I tried it once and the beignets it made were not very good, so I don't
recommend it.)


CAFE AU LAIT:

French quarter beignets are served traditionally with cafe au lait, which is a
mixture of 1/2 strong coffee and 1/2 hot milk.  Basically, brew coffee about
twice as strong as you would normally, heat milk in a saucepan or microwave to
hot (but not boiling), and mix them half and half in a cup.  This will work well
with any good coffee, but authentic New Orleans cafe au lait is often made with
chicory flavored coffee, which you can probably find at the grocery or specialty
food market. (One brand of chicory coffee that you may find in stores outside of
Louisiana is Luzianne; you may also find Cafe du Monde's own brand in some
stores.)