Norlens Beignets With Vanilla Sauce Recipes

NORLENS BEIGNETS WITH VANILLA SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine the water, butter, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the sugar in a deep, heavy saucepan.
• Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the butter, then remove from heat.
• Immediately add the flour all at once and stir vigorously to blend.
• Return the mixture to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture pulls away from the side of the pan, forms a ball, and leaves a film on the bottom of the pan. Should take about 3 minutes.
• Remove from heat and beat in 1 egg at a time with a wooden spoon. The finished paste should be very smooth. Cover and set aside.
• Mix the remaining sugar with the cinnamon and place it in a deep plate or shallow soup bowl.
• In a deep, heavy pot or deep-fryer, heat the oil over medium-high heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, or almost smoking.
• When the oil is hot, scoop up 1 heaping teaspoonful of the dough, push it off the spoon into a rounded lump with your thumb, and drop into the oil. Increasing the heat slightly, fry 10 - 12 beignets at a time, moving them around in the oil so they brown equally on all sides.
• Remove cooked beignets with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain briefly, then keep them warm in an oven on very low heat. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Roll the warm beignets in the cinnamon sugar and serve at once with the warm creme anglaise on the side.
• NOTE: Cream puff dough can be made up to 6 hours in advance and kept at room temperature; the puffs should be fried just prior to serving.
• CREME ANGLAISE:.
• Place the egg yolks in a medium, heavy saucepan and whisk them over low heat until they are pale in color. Add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well between each addition. Beat until the mixture reaches the consistency of cake batter.
• Whisk in the milk, then stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the custard coats the spoon and a line drawn down the back of the spoon remains visible. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
• If the custard is to be chilled, press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the suface to prevent a skin from forming, or dot the top with bits of the optional butter.
• Chill custard for up to 2 days.
• NOTE:.
• If the custard begins to overheat and the egg yolks are forming lumps, remove it immediately from the heat and whisk briskly to cool the mixture. Push the custard through a fine-meshed sieve with the back of a spoon to remove the lumps. If it has not sufficiently thickened, return it to heat to complete cooking.

RASPBERRY BEIGNETS WITH VANILLA DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir together the yeast and the water. Set aside to proof.
• After 10 minutes, stir in the all-purpose flour, cover with plastic, set aside in a warm place and let it double in size.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the eggs, with the mixer on low speed, one by one. When the mix is smooth, add the vanilla and salt. Stir to blend. Add the bread flour and mix on low speed until fully incorporated.
• Change the electric mixer attachment to a dough hook. Continue mixing the dough until it becomes a ball. Then, stir in the yeast mixture until thoroughly incorporated. Put the dough in a bowl, cover with plastic and allow to proof, 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Lightly flour a cool surface and roll the dough out to about 1 1/2-inch thickness. Cut rounds of dough with a cutter and turn them onto a floured baking sheet to rest, 20 to 30 minutes, before frying.
• Heat the oil in a large pot to 365 to 370 degrees F. Drop the beignets in the hot fat and cook until golden brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon. Poke the pastry tip into the side of each beignet to inject some of the raspberry jam into the center of each and roll in the granulated sugar. Serve immediately with Vanilla Dipping Sauce.
• In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and milk to a simmer and add the vanilla beans.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until they become a pale yellow color, 3 to 5 minutes. When the milk/cream simmers, pour it gently over the egg yolks and whisk to blend. Pour the entire mixture back into the pot and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens slightly, 5 to 8 minutes. The sauce should register about 170 degrees F on a thermometer and still be smooth. Strain into a bowl, stir in the vanilla and allow to cool slightly before refrigerating.

BEIGNETS WITH RASPBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• For the beignets: Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl until completely combined.
• Whisk together the milk, water and egg in the bowl of a stand mixer until well combined. Add the dry ingredients. Fit the mixer with a dough hook and mix on low speed until a soft and sticky dough has formed, about 2 minutes. Add the shortening and mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth and starts to climb up the hook, about 8 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large bowl. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl, gently shape into a ball and place seam-side down in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours, depending on the temperature of the room.
• For the raspberry syrup: Meanwhile, combine the raspberries, sugar, lemon juice and 3/4 cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Strain the mixture through a mesh strainer, pressing down on the berries with a rubber spatula to extract all the juice. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and simmer over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature before using.
• When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured work surface. Flour your hands and gently press the dough into a rectangle. Lightly flour the surface of the dough and a rolling pin, then roll the dough into an 8-by-10-inch rectangle. Using a floured bench scraper or chef's knife, cut the dough into twenty 2-inch squares. Let the squares rest for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pour enough oil into a large Dutch oven to come 2 inches up the sides. Clip a deep-fry thermometer to the pot and heat over medium-high heat until the thermometer reaches 360 degrees F.
• Working in batches, fry the dough squares, turning once and adjusting the heat to maintain temperature, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a clean wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet to drain.
• Pile the beignets on a serving platter, dust with the confectioners' sugar, and drizzle with some raspberry syrup. Serve warm with the extra syrup on the side.