dr. cat's beignets

    this is a recipe i modified slightly from an old family recipe, which hailed back to the 1860s. they're more dense than most other beignets, but in a filling sort of way. they are light, fluffy, and just plain delicious. these beignets are the sort that go well with mild sunday mornings with family/friends. it's a sin to make them with chocolate, fruit, or anything else. as you prepare these beignets, take some french-roast coffee & chicory root - you'll make french press coffee with it. serve with black coffee.

you'll need: 

• 1/6 cup vanilla extract
• 6 cups bread flour
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 2 good-sized eggs
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• a couple pinches of salt
• 1 cup sifted granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• a stick of warm butter

you're also going to need: 

• a jug of peanut oil
• a bowl of powdered sugar

this'll make enough beignets for 6 hungry friends, and a dog or two.

1. in a bowl, mix together the warm water, yeast, and sugar. combine them well, and let it sit till it becomes a little foamy.
2. in a different bowl, beat the eggs till they're nice & smooth, then add half the flour. beat in the yeast mixture, then include the butter. continue mixing till smooth.
3. go ahead & add the rest of the flour. mix until a good dough is formed.
4. cover the bowl & put it in the fridge for two hours. if you'd like the beignets lighter, keep it in there for longer.
5. get a cookie sheet, and line it with a few sheets of paper towels.
6. fill a bowl with the powdered sugar.
7. fill a deep cast iron pan (four inch minimum) with the peanut oil.
8. take out the dough and make it into a rectangular log a couple inches thick. cut (either with scissors or hands) into one-inch rectangles.
9. get the oil to medium heat. once it's going, drop a few dough rectangles at a time into the oil.
10. once one side is golden-brown, flip it to brown the other side. when they're completely golden-brown, transfer to the toweled cookie sheet.
11. after some of the oil gets soaked up, transfer the dough to the powdered sugar and toss. repeat this process until all beignets are sugared.
12. serve!