New Orleans, the festival city of America, is about to launch its carnival season and to celebrate what the French call Fat Tuesday. This is the happy time, before Ash Wednesday, when the community lets its hair down and celebrates the tradition of eating more butter and sugar and cream than should be allowed. Yet, these are traditions we all enjoy—the festive consumption of food and drink before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season begins.
As a youth living in Colombia, near Bogotá, in a town called Fusagasuga, Mardi Gras became a carnival to remember—a time to enjoy the party, the parades and the wonderful festivities. We would travel to the Caribbean coast for the Mardi Gras season. Cartagena was alive. The music and dance were everywhere. You could feel it in the air.
It reminded me of the famous Brazilian film Black Orpheus, which was shot in Rio and won the 1960 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The movie is particularly renowned for its soundtrack
by the two Brazilian composers: Antônio Carlos Jobim, whose song
“A Felicidade” opens the film;
and Luiz Bonfá, whose “Manhã de Carnaval” and “Samba of Orpheus” have become bossa nova classics. In the remake of the film, called Orfeu, the leading character has a soundtrack sung by the Frank Sinatra of Latin America, Brazilian singer Caetano Velosa. Check him out if you are unfamiliar.
Today, New Orleans reminds me of those happy memories of Cartagena, where party-goers wear masks and costumes. In fact, it was common in Cartagena to see men and women cross-dressing just for the fun of it. At the time, I thought it peculiar. But I came to see it as no more than a brief period of time to ignore social conventions—not unlike wearing the costumes of Halloween.
But the richness of the food and the overconsumption of so many delicious meals made Mardi Gras a special time of year. The foods made famous during Carnival in New Orleans are eaten by many throughout the year. Think of gumbo, jambalaya, crawfish or shrimp Étouffée, shrimp Creole, muffaletta, po-boy, bread pudding, Bananas Foster or beignets.
Sweet and savory beignets, among other foods that have become an established tradition in New Orleans, are a treat we can all enjoy. These sugary French doughnuts are square instead of round and have no hole in the middle. They are a traditional part of breakfast, but have become a super treat for everyone. You can find them at pastry shops like Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans, which also serves hot chocolate and rich aromatic coffee.
It occurred to me that linking beignets to chocolate and fresh raspberries would give birth to a wonderful dessert that can be served anytime of the day or night. They’re easy to make—and delicious to share—with a loved one. Joining chocolate, sweet doughnuts and luscious raspberries, covered in powdered sugar is a special merger that grows in value. But they’re gone before you know it. So you’ll soon have to make another batch. Bon Appétit!
Beignets à la Zox
1 package (¼ oz) active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water (110-115F)
1 cup evaporated milk
½ cup canola oil
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
4½ cups self-rising flour
Oil for deep frying
Confectioners’ sugar
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, oil, sugar, egg and two cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky). Do not knead. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface. Roll into a 16- by 12-inch rectangle and cut into 2-inch squares. In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375F. Fry squares, a few at a time, until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Roll warm beignets in confectioners’ sugar. Drizzle with chocolate and raspberries as described below.
Homemade Chocolate Sauce with Raspberries
½ cup heavy cream
3 tbsp sweet butter
⅓ pound semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
⅓ cup cocoa powder
¼ tsp salt
1 cup fresh raspberries, or frozen, thawed to room temperature
Heat the cream and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the chocolate, cocoa and salt stirring with a whisk, until melted, smooth and lump free. Serve immediately, or reheat slowly, stirring rapidly with a wooden spoon. If too thick, slowly add a tablespoon of hot water and mix until the consistency is to your liking.
Drizzle the warm chocolate sauce underneath each beignet and add 2 tablespoons of fresh raspberries on top.
Please send comments, questions or observations to Chef Alan at [email protected]. For details about past columns, catering or Chef Zox’s blog, visit www.zoxkitchen.com.