2000s Recipes + Menus
Orange-Scented Beignets
Makesabout 24 beignets
- Active Time:30 min
- Start to Finish:45 min
February 2008
Each of these incredibly tender golden puffs is like a warm little gift—break one open and be rewarded with the aroma of oranges and rose water. They're typically a yeast-leavened street food; Zadi's use of a choux paste “is a special touch, more for home cooking,” he says. “And almond sugar belongs in the Algerian pastry lexicon.”
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon Middle Eastern rose water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup sugar, divided
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature 30 minutes
- About 4 cups vegetable oil for frying
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
-
Equipment:
a deep-fat thermometer
-
Sift flour. Bring water, orange juice, lemon zest and juice, butter, rose water, salt, and 2 tablespoons sugar to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan. Add all-purpose flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon 3 or 4 times. Remove from heat and stir until all of flour is incorporated and dough forms a ball. Cool 5 minutes.
-
Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
-
Preheat oven to 200°F with rack in middle.
-
Heat 2 inches oil to 360°F in a wide 4-quart pot over medium-high heat.
-
Meanwhile, stir together almond flour, cinnamon, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a shallow bowl.
-
Working in batches of 6, gently drop tablespoons of dough into oil and fry, turning once, until puffed and golden-brown, 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain briefly, then keep warm in a shallow baking pan in oven. Return oil to 360°F between batches.
-
Roll warm beignets in almond sugar and serve immediately.
- Keywords
- farid zadi,
- dessert,
- orange,
- fruit,
- regional specialty
Recipes
The Spice is Right
Reflecting the country’s long history as a crossroads for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, one chef’s vision of Algerian cooking is dazzlingly complex, comfortingly familiar—and entirely unique.
Pinterest
