Beignets, apple fritters, whatever you might call them – they’re wicked in any language

How can I even begin to describe these little precious gems of friedness? Think of a small ball-shaped donut that you can eat lot’s of. Of course, the beignets origins from France and are probably what later evolved into donuts but the reason I love to bake them is that they’re fail-safe and you can vary the fillings depending on season and mood.

But how did they find their way to my Scandinavian kitchen you might ask?  First of all, I love donuts. Even the mass-produced version we buy at local fairs that you might think is baked minutes before being served (they’re not) is mouth-watering and I get grumpy like a five-year-old if I can’t have at least one.

I know I’m not the only one with that little dirty habit.  Imagine then how they will be if you make them yourself, with good ingredients and then a couple of spices that lifts them a few extra notches.

The first time I made them, it was a late evening and the cravings were turning me into a monster. Let’s just leave it at that.

These particular beignets are filled with apples but why not try…
…chocolate?
…rhubarb curd-filling after they’ve been fried?
…bacon?
…and so on.

They should be eaten fresh, or at least within a few hours. On the other hand, you can make the batter in advance, set aside and then deep fry to them just before serving.

Beignets with apples

Time: Less than an hour

• 1 tbsp butter
• 150 g flour
• 100 g granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg (don’t buy pre-grated)
• 1 egg
• 70 g milk
• Zest of 1/3 lemon
• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 1 apple
• Oil for frying
• Granulated sugar to cover the fried beignets

1. Melt the butter and let cool
2. Fill a large sauce pan with oil and turn the heat on. Cover with a lid.
3. Sift the flour in a bowl and add sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir until thoroughly mixed.
4. Make a hole in the middle and crack the egg in the hole. Add milk, lemon zest and the scrape the vanilla bean.
5. Fold the dough with a spatula until you have a lump-free batter.
6. Peel, core and chop the apples into tiny dices. Fold into batter.
7. Check temperature of the oil. 170C  (340F) is perfect for beignets. If you don’t have a thermometer, just drop a small piece of white bread into the oil and if starts to sizzly and turn brown in an orderly fashion the temperature is perfect.
8. Using two spoons add a spoonful of batter at a time. Immediately when they enter the hot oil, spin it around to create the round shape. It’s like an Egg Benedict, you’ll get the hang of it after a few tries.
9. Remove using a slotted spoon and roll immediately in granulated sugar. Let cool on a wire rack.
10. Eat them as they are or add a dollop of vanilla ice cream and a little sap reduced to a syrup (or maple syrup)