Apple Beignets

Michael likes when i make fried foods and he hates when i make fried foods. I made these once a while ago and i think we'll have them again this weekend. Now you can use almost any fruit, a hard flesh fruit works best like Apples, Pears or any stone fruit. I have used berries but do not precook the berries, just wrap them whole in the dough and fry.

Apple Beignets

Ingredients

4 large apples, pealed, cored and cut into doughnut slices, sprinkled with lemon juice
3 table spoons of unsalted butter
2 table spoons raw sugar

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups of unbleached flour
3/4 cup of pale beer
1/4 veggie oil
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raw sugar

Veggie oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place apple slices on a parchment lined baking sheet, dot the butter evenly over all the slices and sprinkle with sugar and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the apples just become soft but not too soft, you will need to handle them later and if they are too soft this will be very hard to do. remove from the oven and let cool.

While the apples are baking start to the dough.

Separate the eggs; in one bowl place the yolks the other whites, you will be whipping the whites so it should be the bowl from the stand mixer. Whisk the egg yolks until smooth, now add the salt, oil and beer and continue whisking until smooth. Next add the flour whisk until thick and lump free.

Now start whipping up the egg whites as they start to firm up add the 2 teaspoons of raw sugar and the cream of tartar. Whip until you get slightly stiff peaks. Now fold the egg whites until the egg yolks until both have become one and are smooth.

Now its time to make the doughnuts.

Place enough oil in a deep skillet to be about 2 inches deep. Bring the oil to about 325 degrees. Now lets line up everything you will need. In a small bowl place the 3/4 cups of raw sugar and cinnamon, whisk to combine and set it next to the stove, you will also need plates with paper towels and a cookie sheet with a cooling rack on top. Also get the dough ready next to the cooled apples slices. You know the oil is hot and ready when you drop a bit of the dough in it and it puffs up.

Ok let cook, dip each of the slices into the dough, coating booth sides and place in the hot oil. Do not over crowd the skillet, i do two at a time; also do not pre-coat the apples, dip them before you fry them. The apples should stay in the oil about 6 to 8 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oil and let them rest about 1 minute on the paper towel before being rolled in the cinnamon sugar and then placed on the wire rack to cool.

Enjoy cooking