Friday, February 6, 2009

Beignets

I couldn't even tell you what I planned to write about today. My brain is addled by the amazing fortuitousness of the luscious goodies I tasted today. If you've never had a beignet, you don't know what you're missing.

But let me back up...On our trip to the Osaka Kaiyukan Aquarium today we stumbled upon a little cafe on which was a sign that said "Cafe Du Monde". I assumed this couldn't possibly be THE Cafe Du Monde from New Orleans, but when I saw the beignets depicted in the glass box where all the Japanese food is displayed in plastic, and next to that sat cans of official Cafe Du Monde coffee, I knew we'd found the promised land.

Apparently, a number of years ago some Japanese business men approached the owners of the New Orleans business and the Japanese Cafe Du Monde was born. There are 56 locations here in Japan. I can't even believe it. Naturally we stopped to sample the goods and "Oh boy!" I'm in heaven.

Frankly, beignets aren't all that hard to make. Fry up a little bread dough and sprinkle some powdered sugar on them and you get a reasonable approximation of a beignet in a pinch. Alternatively, use a recipe such as this one. I was once told that getting powdered sugar on you get on you while you eat them brings you good luck. So don't worry about being neat; just dig in!

4 comments:

  1. Wow. I've never heard of them but now I'm keen to try! Is it said 'bay-nets'? Glad to hear the powdered sugar is good luck. I must be the luckiest girl in Japan. :)

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  2. Those sound AMAZING! It makes the Frosted Mini Wheats I'm eating right now seem woefully inadequate.

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  3. The word is French in origin so it should sound something like "bei·gné" or "bay-nyay". Here's an audio pronunciation by someone who doesn't sound particularly French to me but it gives you some idea. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beignets

    Truly - they are puffs of goodness. I've never tried making homemade donuts thinking they were too complicated. Instead, I opt for these. The Italian version, by the way, which we always called "pizza frite," is delicious as well and quite similar. My uncle learned to make it from his father who came to the US from Italy. They used the leftover bread or pizza dough from the night before, fried it up in some oil the next morning, sprinkled it with powdered sugar or cinnamon and sugar and ta-da! A breakfast that could give you a heart attack both from it's lusciousness and fat content. This is a special occasion treat and I'm fortunate that my uncle loves me enough to make it for me on my yearly visit.

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  4. CJ- those Frosted Mini Wheats are likely FAR more healthy and I love them! I miss cereal here in Japan. There's a very small selection here...

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