How to Cook Apple Beignets

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 4 ½ hours

Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients needed to make Apple Beignets:

• 4 small apples, peeled, cored and cut into ½’’ thick slices
• 1 lb apricot halves, canned
• 1 cup all purpose flour, sifted
• ¼ oz yeast
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 egg yolk
• Half of an egg white, beaten until it forms stiff peaks
• 3/8 cup apple juice
• ¼ cup Slivovitz
• ¼ cup + 2 tbsp Calvados
• 3/8 cup flat beer
• 3/8 cup cream
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp sugar
• ¼ cup butter
• Rind of ½ orange, grated
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• Icing sugar, for dusting
• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Cooking instructions for Apple Beignets:

• Toss the apple slices into a bowl and empty ¼ cup of Calvados into it.
• Sprinkle the sugar over them and set aside for 15 minutes or until the apples are macerated.
• Place the sifted flour in a warm bowl and stir in a dash of salt to mix well.
• Make a small hole in the middle of the seasoned flour, with your fingers and pour in the apple juice, beer and olive oil into it.
• Add the yeast into it and stir them all together until they blend thoroughly into a smooth batter.
• Place a lid on top and let it rest for 4 hours.
• Add a splash of extra beer and fold in the beaten egg white until well combined; set aside.
• Pour in enough oil into a deep-bottomed skillet, required for deep-frying and heat it over moderate heat.
• Toss the softened apple slices into a frying basket and dip it into the batter so that the apples are well coated with the blend.
• Allow the excess batter to drip down and lower the basket into the hot oil.
• Fry the coated apple slices or beignets for a couple of minutes or until the coating crisps up and turn golden brown.
• Drain them out into a paper-towel lined plate and dust them with icing sugar.
• To make the apricot sauce, place the apricot halves in a saucepan and cook it over high flame.
• Add a knob of butter into it and continue to cook until it melts.
• Sprinkle a dash of ground cinnamon over it and add a splash of Slivovitz into it.
• Allow the flames to subside and drizzle rest of the calvados into it.
• Sprinkle the grated orange zest into the sauce and whisk in the cream until they blend thoroughly.
• Tip the mixture into a blender and pulse it into a smooth puree.
• Return the mixture back into the pan and reheat.
• Beat in the egg yolks until mixed well and pour it into a serving cup.
• Serve the beignets alongside apricot sauce.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Last Updated on April 29, 2013 by