Cafe du Monde Beignets
French settlers brought beignets with them as they migrated to the Eastern coast of Canada, a region called Acadia, in the 17th century. Today, beignets are most associated with the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. Unlike most doughnuts, beignets are square with no hole in the middle.
Beignets, pronounced "ben-yay" are often referred to as powdered sugar pillows. They are usually served in threes with hot black coffee (chicory) or cafe au lait.
Chicory coffee is a beverage made using the roots of the chicory plant which are roasted, ground and brewed into a coffee-like drink. Chicory coffee tastes similar to coffee, but has a flavor that's often described as slightly woody and nutty. It's used either on its own or mixed with coffee to complement its flavor.
Cafe du Monde is the granddaddy of all beignet places in New Orleans. First opening its doors in 1862, the spot is still at the same corner of Decatur and St. Ann streets. Open 24 hours a day, every day except for Christmas, the cafe doesn't try to do anything but what it does best: make beignets. Served in a paper try of three, these fluffy square puffs of fried dough are smothered in confectioners' sugar and served with chicory-laced coffee, fresh-squeezed orange juice. A word of advice to newbies visting this loation or one of the eight other outposts around the region: don't wear black and don't put your elbows on the table. Why? They will stick to it. And don't forget to eat them .. piping hot! And are they as delicious as they sound? Yes!
In 1986, the beignets were proclaimed the Louisiana state doughnut. Clearly, if there is one hting to do in town it is to eat all the beignets one can.
Another specialty in the Big Easy are pralines. Loretta Harrison began Loretta's Authentic Pralines over 35 years ago with her decadent French Quarter sweet shop and, nowadays, she's also serving beignets for breakfast at her cafe. While Loretta is happy to serve up her traditional beignets, her customers really need to try her praline-filled beignets as well. Loretta can be found at 13 French Market Pl.
Pralines are sweet confections made primarily of sugar, nuts and butter. This hard candy is sometimes ground and used as filling other candies, but it stands by itself as a delightful treat. Pralines are like a nutty version of fudge with a caramel-like flavor and designed to met in your mouth which is why they are so tempting.
In New Orleans, praline is an institution. Brought to Louisiana by French immigrants, the recipe quickly adapted to the plentiful amounts of pecans in State. Not only were the original almonds and hazelnuts swapped for the local Southern nut, but the recipes that developed also added cream or evaporated milk.
1 cup white granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup evaporated milk
4 tablespoons butter, cubed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup boiling water, if needed (if the candy stiffens before you're done scooping, add a spoonful of boiling hot water and stir until it loosens then continue scooping onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper).
If you don't want to bother making a batch, there are many sites online to order pralines such as Aunt Sally's in New Orleans and Savannah's Candy Kitchen in Savannah, Georgia.
Be Safe.
Pat Locke
Maestro Muse
