At the beginning of summer, I’d cooked a special farewell lunch for my grad program friends: Cajun stuffed Cornish hens, dirty rice, and Brussels sprouts with candied bacon. For dessert, I kept with the Louisianan theme and served homemade beignets and Cafe du Monde New Orleans-style coffee with condensed milk, just the way Vietnamese people love to drink it.
While I grew up around Cafe du Monde’s ready-to-brew coffee grounds (which came in those notorious mustard yellow tin cans that afterwards became every Vietnamese family’s piggy bank/knickknack holder), I didn’t have my first beignet until college when I went to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. I visited the brick-and-mortar Cafe du Monde and did what all the other tourists did: sat in the open-air cafe and sipped on steaming chicory drip coffee with the powdered sugar from the three beignets snowing all over my mouth and lap. It was a heavenly combination of flavors, and boy, all I can say is those French sure know their fried desserts.
Beignet, which literally means “bump,” is the French version of the American fritter. I love to eat them with powdered sugar and honey. They should be pillowy on the inside with a very light crunch on the outside. Before “MasterChef,” I always got my beignets from local shops. But then I learned how to make them from scratch, and there ain’t nothin’ like a beignet fresh out of the fryer. My friends gobbled them all up, their faces and fingers covered in white. If it hadn’t been for food coma written all over their eyes, they would’ve been mistaken for a bunch of cokeheads. Try these out, and let me know what you think. If the Blind can Cook it, you know you can too.
22 Responses to beignets
Paulina Fiejtek July 26, 2012
Hi Christine I love you and I might try this with my mom. You have inspired me on master chef. And I don’t think you will win, I know you will. I love you. <3
Paulina Fiejtek July 26, 2012
I meant I know you will WIN
Christine Ha July 26, 2012
Thanks for the kind words.
Crystal July 26, 2012
I love Cafe du Monde beignets!!! We live in Houston, TX, so we don't have them nearly enough, lol. Thank you for the recipe!
Christine Ha July 26, 2012
Chez Beignet has some pretty good ones. Check them out.
Crystal July 30, 2012
Thanks – we will!
pieguybxl July 26, 2012
mmmmm so awesome. How do you make them into those squarish shapes that I've seen in some places?
Christine Ha July 26, 2012
You can use a square mold cutter found in baking sections.
John July 26, 2012
You are a true inspiration.. We are routing hard for you here in Cali. Go get em'!
Phantastic July 27, 2012
Wow thanks for the recipe, looks yummy! I will definitely try it out. But you know else looks yummy? That pineapple soup you made on Masterchef. I'm so curious on how that broth tastes like! =D
flowerinsun July 27, 2012
I am one from China, heh, so love u , Christine !
Beverly July 29, 2012
wow those look really good. i tried beignets once before and they were ok. i'll try one more time with your recipe but i think my problem is the location not the flavor. it's hard to beat eating a beignet and drinking some cafe au lait while sitting at the river. there's just something about being in NOLA that is magical.
Christine Ha July 29, 2012
Ambience plays such an important role in the food experience, especially here in America.
Shawn August 12, 2012
Hahahaha the description of your friends eating the beignets had me laughing my butt off.
Cécile August 24, 2012
I'm a half Vietnamese half French girl who has been watching Masterchef online (we have our own version here but I'm always looking for more ideas to cook). I'm rooting for you to win this thing with all my heart !
I've started reading your blog after seeing you on the show and I love it. I'm really glad to see a French desert here and it's interesting to see how you make it. I'm actually not a huge fan of beignets (I'm not really into desserts) but I've been making bugnes (it's a kind of beignet from Lyon) for a while since it's one of my father's favourites and I'll definitely be trying your recipe.
You truly are an inspiration to me.
I'm looking forward to watching you cook in the next episode
A fan from across the Atlantic !
Christine Ha August 25, 2012
Thanks for your comment and such kind words.
Jenny Huynh September 13, 2012
Christine, we (Vietnamese) are so proud of you. It's not just you've won the Master Chef but you have won with the Vietnamese dish.Wish you all the best. Love, Jenny Huynh
J. Dent December 20, 2012
I would have liked to have gotten in on that meal. Seems like I've been on a never-ending Cajun craving. I've actually tried beignets with some chicory coffee in a local New Orleans restaurant. I admit that I was a bit disappointed with them, especially since the food was take-your-breath-away good (it was the first time I've been left speechless by food) but I bet they'd be really good fresh out of the fryer. That lemon juice sounds like it'd give it really good taste. Hopefully, the world lasts long enough for me to try these the homemade way.
From that picture, they almost remind me of ebleskiver, only darker and more crunchy. I'd probably really have to church them out if they go down like ebleskiver because I can eat about 20 of those, last time anyone counted. That coffee sounds like it'd be just the right accompaniment too. If I ever try to cook up some of these, I might also have to make some chantilly cream to go along with them.
Christine Ha December 20, 2012
I've never heard of anebleskiver. Describe, please.
J. Dent December 20, 2012
They're something like Danish pancakes, although I wouldn't really consider them breakfast food. They're more like dessert.. You cook them in a special pan that has a bunch of indentions that cook the batter into spheres. As they cook, you turn them with a fork or something similar. Once they're cooked and still hot, you can serve them with all kinds of jellies or syrup. My personal preference is with orange marmalade. They're soft like a pancake, but light and fluffy. And they're highly addictive.
I don't have a recipe for them. As far back as I can remember, we've used Bisquick since it's always on hand. I've got a bit of Dane is my family tree, so that's why we have these.
Christine Ha December 20, 2012
Interesting. Thanks for the quick lesson.
J. Dent January 8, 2013
You're welcome, and here's another quick lesson. I don't know if you ever would try ebleskiver, but if you do, forget what I said about using Bisquick. I found out that we actually do have a recipe. Over three years of eating them, and I just find out what they're made of. XD
Anyway, I think these beignets will be one of the next of your recipes that I'll try. Maybe one day, I'll get to try them right from New Orleans along with some authentic jambalaya.