Recipe: Beignets with Mississippi Blueberry Sauce

Beignets with Mississippi Blueberry Sauce

Blueberry Sauce
2 pints fresh blueberries
3/4 cup granulated sugar, approximately
1 cup water

Beignet batter:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 cup milk
1 medium egg, beaten

For cooking and serving:
2 1/2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Combine the blueberries, the 3/4 cup of sugar, and water, puree in a food processor, and pass through a fine sieve. Taste, and add more sugar if necessary. Set aside.

To make the beignets, combine and sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 cup of sugar in a large bowl. Combine the water, milk, and egg in a small bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and combine thoroughly.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until it reaches 325F on a deep-fry thermometer.

Use 2 teaspoons, one in each hand. Lift a spoonful of batter with one spoon, and push the batter into the hot oil with the other. Fry no more than 10 beignets at a time; crowding the pot will reduce the oil temperature and cause the beignets to be greasy and soggy. Adjust the heat to maintain the temperature at 325F. Fry each batch for 6 to 7 minutes, until golden brown and cooked all the way through. Check for doneness by splitting one open. Drain on a rack or paper towels. Soon after removing the beignets from the oil, place the powdered sugar into a sieve and generously dust the beignets with the sugar.

Ladle equal portions of the blueberry sauce onto each of 6 plates, and arrange 5 beignets around the sauce