who knew fried food could be so good?

so i begged my mother for the kitchenaid cookbook because it had these yummy pillow looking things on the cover. i was so amused. with the cookbook purchased, i discovered that these delicious items were beignets, a french doughnut thing. they are dusted in powdered sugar.

ingredients

1 package of yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cream
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups flour
Vegetable oil for frying
powdered sugar

recipe
dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup water, set aside
combine butter, boiling water, sugar, and salt until the sugar has been completely dissolved and the butter is completely melted. let cool till lukewarm. add cream and 3 cups of flour until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. add the remaining cup of flour and knead until soft. roll out until the dough is 1/4 inch tall. cut into two inch squares. heat oil up to 350 degrees F. drop the dough pieces in a couple at a time, and fry until golden brown on both sides. when all are fried, let cool. once cool fill a ziploc bag with 3/4 cup powdered sugar and fill the bag with beignets. shake until each beignet is completely covered with powdered sugar. they can be filled with cream or maple syrup. i'm contemplating covering my current batch in cinnamon. should be delightful.

cenci!

so while i was in italy for 4 months, these were my favorite baked good. obviously i can't say that they were my favorite food, everything in italy is delicious (eg, truffle pizza, 4 cheese penne with truffle oil, pear and cheese ravioli, and oh so much gelato. i swear, if i hadn't walked everywhere, they would have had to roll me off the plane!) they're typically made for carnivale, but you can find them year round at a fornaio or a pasticceria, where of course you can find other amazing things. they are thin, crisp, messy and amazing.

ingredienti!

1 1/2 cups flour (farina!)

3 eggs (uova)

3 tablespoons butter (burro), the butter should be softened, easier to work with.

2 tablespoons sugar (zucchero, which is lots of fun to say!)

1 tablespoon milk (latte)

1 tablespoon vanilla (vaniglia i think. it's a weird word)

Dash o'lemon zest

combine all ingredients into a firm dough. knead like bread dough. roll out really really thin. cut into strips about an inch wide and 4 inches long. twist into what will look like ringlet curls. fry in oil (oil should be about 375 degrees) until golden brown (should only be about a minute in the oil). drain. cover in powdered sugar. enjoy!

these are relatively simple, delicious, and full of happiness and joy!