Do you have a favorite, trademark recipe? Maybe something, usually super simple, that your family asks you to make time and time again? For me, I always asked my mother for her spaghetti with Marinara sauce and her corn bread. And I would always ask my father to make the famous Guarnaschelli family meatballs loaded with garlic and curly parsley. Well, the same thing happens in a restaurant. You end up with a “signature” dish that never leaves the menu. We always joke at the restaurant about how people will come and say “do you still make those delicious doughnuts we had the last time we were here?”
Truth is: those doughnuts were kind of an accident! But I have been serving them at Butter in New York City for the last 13 years. Every day. And I every time I see them being made and fried and filled with raspberry jam, I still want to eat them!
When I arrived at Butter years ago, there was a beignet with a dipping sauce already on the menu. It was the most popular dessert on the menu, but when the pastry chef left, he took the recipe with him. It seemed criminal to let go of a signature dish, so I set out to create my own version.
I wanted a slightly cakey doughnut that when fried to order would also be fairly light. And, while I was at it, I wanted it to have something creamy with vanilla flavor to go along with the tang of the raspberry jam. The final touch, I decided, would be a little crunch of granulated sugar on the outside.
I tried a million recipes, and I would up with a soggy, deflated beignet every time. I would go to doughnut shops and eat the sugar-raised honey dip doughnuts wistfully, wondering how they had achieved such a texture and cakey fluff.
Finally, after many attempts I wound up with a recipe that works. It’s a truly simple dessert, and the smell of those beignets has been a staple of the Butter kitchen every day for more than 13 years.
Raspberry Beignets with Vanilla Dipping SauceMakes about 25-30 beignets
There are two things to keep in mind to make sure this recipe is a success. First, once you combine the yeast and warm water, you need to put them in a warm place (like near the stove when the oven is on). You need that heat to get the yeast and water combination rolling. Second, don’t skimp on the two types of flour. The all-purpose flour is great for density and the bread flour, with increased protein, contributes to good shape a good “rise” factor. That’s why I’ve invited both to this party.
1 tbsp. plus 21/2 teaspoons active dry yeast1 cup warm water1 cup all-purpose flour1¼ sticks unsalted butter⅔ cup granulated sugar3 eggs, cracked and lightly beaten1 tsp. vanilla extract1 tsp. kosher salt3½ cups bread flourExtra flour for rolling the dough (about 1 cup total)1 quart fryer oil¾ cup raspberry jam (preferably seedless) in a pastry bag fitted with a small tipGranulated sugar for garnish
Temperature in baking:I admit that I have taken a recipe that has instructed me to have eggs and butter at room temperature and ignored it. But sometimes, you can’t. This is one of those recipes. The butter and eggs really need to have warmed up a bit. Take them both out and out them in a warm place while you gather and measure all of the other ingredients. Fully “creaming” the butter and then individually adding the eggs is at the heart of a good doughnut here. If they’re too cold, the mixture tends to “break” or separate and the resulting texture is not as good.
Vanilla Bean Sauce1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (or substitute 2 teaspoons vanilla)2 cups whole milk6 egg yolks⅔ cup granulated sugar
1.Steep the milk: In a pot, combine the vanilla beans and milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes and then set the pot aside off the heat to steep for 10 minutes.2.Make the sauce: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg yolks and sugar. Whisk at medium speed until the eggs are bright yellow, 3-5 minutes. Strain the milk mixture, pressing down to extract the maximum from the vanilla beans. Pour ½ of the milk mixture into the egg yolks with the machine on low speed. When blended, return the entire mixture to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon, 5-8 minutes.3.Take a bowl and place in a larger bowl with ice underneath. Pour the mixture into the bowl and stir to accelerate cooling. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
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source: people.com
