NOTRE CUISINE ACADIENNE...
TITLE BEIGNET #1 / French Sugar Dumpling
(pronounced: beng-eh, 't' is silent)
HISTORY The beignet is a main dish. The origin of the beignet is french and is difficult to pronounce correctly because the word uses those very french syllables that english-speaking tongues cannot maneuver. It is one of those extreme sweets that we enjoyed typically for a Sunday evening dinner meal. As with the crèpe, it was usually accompanied with a homemade tomato soup. The root of the word beignet is 'beigne' and is closely related to the other french word 'baigner' which means 'to bathe'. And indeed the 'beignet' is bathed in delectable sweetness of brown sugar or maple sugar. The closest english word for 'beignet' is fritter or dumpling. (Some families have anglicized the name of this dish to "Brown Sugar Dumplings".) But I am reluctant to make that comparison because it is so much better.
INGREDIENTS Ingredients (syrup):
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 1 cup water
Ingredients (batter):
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2/3 cup of milk

    • 3 teaspoons baking powder
PREPARATION
  • Mix the syrup in a pan and bring to a boil (about 5 minutes) and continue to boil at medium to low heat.
  • Mix the flour, eggs and salt with milk. Add enough of the milk to leave the batter thick enough to drop by heaping spoonsful in the hot syrup.
  • Drop each beignet individually and allow several 4-5 (depending on the size of your pan) to cook for about 10 minutes. To make sure that they are done, open one up to make sure that the inside is cooked but moist.

    • Serves four. Serve home-style.
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