Recipe of the Day:
Eula Mae’s Mini Doughnuts
Posted by Adam
Monday February 8, 2010Lately, our thoughts have turned toward New Orleans… partly because it’s much warmer down there than it is in New England ’round this time of year, but also because we love that city so much we can’t wait to return. No matter where you are, start your Fat Tuesday morning off right with Eula Mae’s Mini Doughnuts, or beignets in French, and some café au lait. Nothing beats these made-from-scratch treats! This recipe is excerpted from Eula Mae’s Cajun Kitchen, by the legendary Eula Mae Dore and Marcelle Bienvenu. And remember, Mardi Gras falls on February 16th.
Eula Mae’s Mini Doughnuts
Makes about 14 doughnuts
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, well beaten
1 tablespoon butter, melted
4 to 5 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups vegetable or peanut oil for deep-frying
Confectioners’ sugar
1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix well.
2. Combine the eggs, melted butter, milk, nutmeg, and vanilla in a small mixing bowl and mix well.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the egg mixture, and stir in one direction with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball and all the flour is incorporated. (Hold the ball in the center with a fork and run the dough around the bowl to pick up the flour on the edges of the bowl.)
4. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured work surface and pat it into a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Use a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter (or a glass) to cut out the doughnuts. Dip your index finger in some flour and punch a hole in the center of the doughnuts, then turn it around your finger to make hole about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Once you put the doughnut in the hot oil, the holes close up a bit.
5. Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pot or an electric fryer to 360°F. The oil should be deep enough so that the doughnuts float and do not touch the bottom of the pot. Add the doughnuts, 2 to 3 at a time, turning them around in the hot oil until brown. (“Usually, the dough cracks a bit and that’s how I know they’re done.”)
6. Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, and serve warm.
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