Gaufres Kermesses - recipe of the Belgian (or Brussels) waffles.

French beignets

© Copyright 2010. French Moments

Method:

1. 
   

2. -Mix the flour, sugar and salt.
   

3. 
   

4. -Add the milk and the eggs one by one, then the butter and the licqueur and vanilla essence, then lastly the baking powder and lemon zest.
   

5. 
   

6. -Do not overmix the batter as it will make it heavier.
   

7. 
   

8. -Heat the oil in a heavy based pan and when very hot, drop in a dessert spoon full of batter in a ball shape. Cook until a dark golden brown then drain on kitchen paper and roll in  caster sugar to de corate. Cook in batches until all the batter has gone.
   

9. 
   

10. -You can eat them hot or cold.
    

As beignets are deep-fried, the odour when cooking can be strong ... remember to light candles while cooking them to absorb the unpleasant smell!

Alongside the crêpes and waffles, the beignets are part of the most famous dishes prepared in France for the occasion of Mardi-Gras or Carnival. The pastry usually consists of deep-fried dough and is a sort of doughnut.

Beignets originate from France and, depending on the region, can be prepared  in many different ways, hence carrying a variety of names: bugnes, merveilles, oreillettes, corchevets, vautes, etc.

This page features one of the many recipes followed for making “Beignets de Carnaval” and has been adapted in order to be extremely easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

1. 
   

2. - 375 g plain flour
   

3. - 3 eggs
   

4. - 75 g butter at room temperature
   

5. - 4 dessert spoons of rum or plum licqueur (licqueur de mirabelle) or other citrus based licqueur. 
   

6. - a few drops vanila essence
   

7. - 100 g de sucre semoule
   

8. - a pinch of salt
   

9. - 2 tsp baking powder
   

10. - 250 ml milk
    

11. - zest of 1 lemon
    

12. - vegetable oil for deep frying

Beignets de Carnaval

Crêpes Bretonnes - recipe of the famous French crêpes from Brittany.