Halfway through college, the falafel restaurant down the street from me started selling, somewhat improbably, New Orleans-style chicory coffee and beignets. The coffee was a dollar a cup, and beignets a dollar each—four bucks for a half-dozen, handed to you in a brown paper bag covered in powdered sugar. It was quite the five-dollar feast, and my introduction to the beauty of a beignet. They're like doughnuts, but airier and crisper, light enough that it was entirely reasonable to eat two or three or four of them, and entirely likely that I too would be coated in powdered sugar by the end of it.Just about nothing is easier than eating beignets, but making them is fully within reach. And if you’re jonesing to be down in New Orleans right now for Mardi Gras, they’re just the thing. Make the dough the day before you plan to fry them up, go out Mardi-Gras-ing wherever you are, and know that they’re simple enough to make even if you’re powerfully hungover. (And you’ll probably be craving something fried anyway.)Frying? you might be thinking. Hungover? I mean it! There’s so much less ado about frying than we often think there is. Just keep these things in mind: You’re not contending with a vat of oil, just about an inch. Heat the oil slowly. Fry in a deep-sided pot and use long-handled tools like tongs to maneuver the beignets. And when you’re done, let the oil cool before pouring it into a container (like an empty can or jar), then throw it away—don’t drain it down the sink. You’re done.Note: For plain, not-chocolaty beignets, replace the ¼ cup cocoa powder with ¼ cup all-purpose flour and omit the espresso powder.Chocolate Buttermilk Beignets
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