It’s Mardi Gras time again and nothing makes me reminisce about old New Orleans more than delicious Beignets made in the style of the famous Cafe DuMonde in the main square in New Orleans. These lemon zest and nutmeg flecked beignets still throw a Mardi Gras party in my mouth. The classic powdered sugar topping is my favorite but don’t be afraid to get creative with other topping ideas.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 oz envelope active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3 1/2 cups flour (divided)
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter (softened)
• Oil for frying
• Confectioner’s Sugar (for dusting

Directions:

Mix yeast, water, and sugar in a mixing bowl and let stand until foamy (about 5 minutes). Then add salt, lemon zest, nutmeg, egg, milk, 1 1/2 cups flour and mix. then add butter add the rest of your flour, then knead your dough on a floured surface.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in size (about an hour). Remove dough and punch down then roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut out circles with q one inch round cutter and let rise on a floured baking sheet for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a medium pot or deep fryer until it registers 350 F. Then fry the beignets in batches rolling them around constantly with a slotted spoon until golden brown (1 to 2 minutes).

Then sprinkle powdered sugar on your finished beignets and enjoy!

These beignets are so delicious they remind me of my Honeymoon in New Orleans and I’m so pleased to be able to recreate a small piece of that wonderful time.

Homemade Beignet For Mardi Gras