Lighter Than Air: Savory Beignets

Roasted Beet Beignets are perfect on their own or as a companion to shrimp, scallops or oysters.  Photo:  Abdi Aminlari for 3 Photographers.

I’m obsessed with beignets.  And it’s not just because I’m crazy about all things New Orleans this Super Bowl week.  Well, okay, maybe it is, but really, how can you not love those lyrically puffed packages of delicousness?  In the U.S., we typically think of the beignets of Cafe du Monde fame — square shaped and sprinkled with powdered sugar— but in France, the term can refer to a variety of deep-fried pastries with fruit or vegetable filling.  And that, my friends, is where it really starts to get interesting.

The tradition of deep frying fruits, vegetables and even meats dates back to ancient Rome and was most associated with festival days.  The tradition lives on across the world in favorites like fritters, hush puppies, zeppoles, the German spritzkuchen, the polish paczki, beignets and my Nana’s pizza fritte — just to name a few.  Fried dough, all, but their subtle variations make all the difference in taste and texture. Plus, saying it in French just makes it sound so much more sexy!

The beignet is made from pate a choux, a light pastry dough introduced by a French chef in the 16th century.  It is a simple dough of butter, water flour and eggs that is also used to make profiteroles, gougeres and Indonesian kue sus.  The high moisture content creates steam during cooking (usually baking or deep frying) that puffs the pastry.  I started making this choux, using NY Times recipe,  many years ago as both sweet and savory staple on party menus for my catering clients.  It was not until a short time ago, however, when a friend mentioned a a savory cauliflower beignet he sampled at a Washington, D.C. restaurant, that I decided to re-engage my choux chops and start frying up everything in my fridge.

Since I personally relate beignets to my first trip to New Orleans and because the best oysters I ever had were Louisiana Gulf Oysters (also in New Orleans) and, yes, because the Saints are going to the Super Bowl, Oyster Beignets topped my to-cook/to-post list.  They’re included in the Super Bowl menu from Monday’s post and I plan to serve them at my Super Bowl party on Sunday with a Cajun-spiced aioli dip.  I also prepared beet beignets (pictured) to accompany a seared scallop appetizer that made the grade for this year’s Valentine’s Day menu post (check back on 2/9 for the recipe and the gorgeous photos by Abdi).  Try the Oyster Beignet recipe with your favorite seafood, vegetable, fruit or whatever.  Get creative, go crazy!  But, s’il vous plait, don’t call them fritters!

NOTE:  Beignets are the official state doughnut of Louisiana and I really can’t think of a better reason to root for the Saints on Sunday.  Does Indiana have an official state doughnut?  THERE’S STILL TIME TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE SUPERBOWL MENU.  CLICK HERE AND SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM COMMENT SECTION.

Recipe:  Oyster Beignets

Yield:  approximately 24 beignets

Ingredients

• 12-ounce fresh, shucked oysters
• 1  cup  all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon  grated lemon rind
• 1/2  cup  milk
• 6  tablespoons  butter, cut into pieces
• 4  large eggs
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh chives (optional)
• Vegetable oil
• Cajun-spiced aioli

Preparation

Drain oysters, reserving 1/2 cup oyster liquor*.  Coarsely chop oysters; set aside. Combine flour and lemon rind in a small bowl.  Combine reserved oyster liquor, milk and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter melts. Add flour mixture all at once, beating vigorously with a wooden spoon 1 minute or until mixture leaves sides of pan.

Remove from heat. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating vigorously with a wooden spoon after each addition until smooth. Gently fold in oysters and chives.

Pour oil to depth of 2 inches into a Dutch oven; heat to 375°.  Drop oyster mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls into oil. Fry, in batches, 2 to 3 minutes or until golden. Drain on wire racks. Serve immediately with Cajun-Spiced Aioli.

* You may substitute the milk and oyster liquor with 1 c. water but add 2 tbl. butter.

Cajun Spiced Aioli

With a mortar and pestle, grind 1 1/2 tsp. kosher or sea salt with 2 cloves of garlic.  Add garlic mixture and 1 tbl. Cajun spice to 1/2 cup mayonnaise.  Add a pinch of lemon rind if desired.