Choux Beignets And Apricot Curd
I don’t really like to start a post with a conversation but after trying different ways to write it up, I found that the accurate was to relate the conversation that took place between B. and myself last night before falling asleep. If you were to eavesdrop on the following conversation you’d think we lead the grand life:
B: what time is the cocktail party tomorrow?
Me: starts at 7pm. What time is the band playing?
Him: starts at 9pm.
If you know us a little better, then the rest of the conversation about our friends' party for their anniversary makes much more sense:
Me: I need to have the 300 cream puffs done by 10am at the latest, they are picking them up and the cake by noon.
Him: I’ve got to be at the party site by 6pm to hook up the PA system and practice some tunes with the guys. Well, at least we can have breakfast together. Anything special (with that look of "please, no more clafoutis")?
Me: what about some "choux beignets" with some of the leftover cream puff dough I am bound to have?
Him: I’ll fry!
Me: deal! (meaning I can shower, cook down some rhubarb and write a post all at once, the usual!)
What a breakfast! We were perched on our chairs like little kids enjoying their latest pranks! It has been a while since we had any sort of fried dough for breakfast, keeping it relatively healthy during the week while buttering some brioche on Sundays. I don' eat a lot for breakfast but I love baking breakfast items. The choux are what we call "Pets de Nonne" (Nuns' Farts) which always made me giggle as a kid, not so much as an adult about to eat them for breakfast. I paired the choux beignets with an apricot curd I had made the day before just because I was tired of starring at a lonely bottle of apricot nectar in the pantry. Worked perfectly for dunking! The choux are really fun to watch when you fry them as they puff like crazy and wobble in the oil and shrivel like little old ladies when you let them sit for a while. Bonus, these are a breeze to make: mix, scoop and fry…and eat!
I am sorry if I have to leave you on this short post but I have got to finish some stuff for the party favors and there is a wild baking weekend coming up. I want to get some stuff done ( not to mention cleaning up a bit and organizing) before Marce from Pip In The City comes on Tuesday. She is staying for 5 days and beside her request to have me teach her macarons, I plan on the two of us having a fun time on the town! I have got the camera ready!!
Choux Beignets and Apricot Curd:
For the choux:
85 gr all purpose flour
75ml water
75 ml milk
65 gr butter
3 eggs
1 Tb sugar
1/8 tsp salt
canola oil for frying
Sift the flour and set aside. Heat the water, milk, butter and salt to a full rolling boil, so that the fat is not just floating on the top but is dispersed throughout the liquid. Stir the flour into the liquid with a heavy wooden spoon, adding it as fast as it can be absorbed. Avoid adding it all at once or it will form clumps. Cook, stirring constantly and breaking up the lumps if necessary, by pressing them against the side of the pan with the back of the spoon until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the dough to a mixer bowl. Let the paste cool slightly so that the eggs will not cook when they are added. You can add and stir the eggs by hand but it requires some elbow grease. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, using the paddle attachment on low or medium speed. The dough should have the consistency of thick mayonnaise.
Heat the oil to 360F in a medium pan (I use a 8 inch cast iron) and scoop small rounds of dough that you drop into the oil. Fry until golden brown on each side. Drain on paper towel, serve with the apricot curd if desired.
For the Apricot Curd:
1 cup apricot nectar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp lime zest
Combine the zest, sugar, nectar in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer. In a small bowl, beat the eggs until light. Beat some of the apricot mixture into the eggs to temper. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and cook stirring constantly until it thickens up, about 5 minutes. Let cool to room temp and use to fill the cake.Strain and refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap until ready to use.
Comments
LizNoVeggieGirl April 25, 2008 um 8:19 pm
I like the conversation-type posts – enjoyable to read, just like all of your other posts!
Oooh, those Choux Beignets and the Apricot Curd sound absolutely divine…. yum!
Have fun making the party favors!! I do hope that you will post about them later on :0)
Anonymous April 25, 2008 um 8:22 pm
I love breakfasts items too!
The Choux Beignets with the Apricot Curd look delicious! I’m a big fan of anything-apricot.
Thanks for sharing!
Cannelle Et Vanille April 25, 2008 um 8:24 pm
How lucky are your friends! Cake, beignets, curd, speakers set up… amazing couple you guys must be!
MyKitchenInHalfCups April 25, 2008 um 8:38 pm
What a grand time you should have with Marce!
Love these little Nun Farts! And I’m sure they would be wonderful with apricot curd!
Wish you successful 300’s! and a lovely weekend!
My Sweet & Saucy April 25, 2008 um 8:48 pm
They are adorable! What a fun party dessert that would be!
bakeorbreak April 25, 2008 um 8:49 pm
These look fantastic! I love breakfast food, too. Maybe because it’s such an infrequent treat.
mimi April 25, 2008 um 9:03 pm
everyone else is definitely having better breakfasts than i do … and those choux beignets definitely look absolutely delish!
Unknown April 25, 2008 um 9:06 pm
I have some mango nectar at the back of the fridge I’m tired of staring at. I wonder if that’d work…
Anonymous April 25, 2008 um 9:09 pm
I have been craving something fried that might remind me of an elegant donut. I love the color of the apricot curd. I must try these.
glamah16 April 25, 2008 um 9:43 pm
Thanks for the post with your busy schedule. These llok divine and I like how you concocted Apricot curd. Sounds like it will be a great party. And how fun to have a feloow blogger visit.I just met my firt Blogger friend and really enjoyed it.
K April 25, 2008 um 10:10 pm
Those look so delicious – i think I found my breakfast for this weekend!
Anonymous April 25, 2008 um 10:16 pm
I’m perched on the end of my chair looking at these! How great!
Veron April 25, 2008 um 10:25 pm
I love deep fried dough, these beignets are awesome!! Have fun with Marce, it’s bound to be a weekend to remember!
Cakespy April 25, 2008 um 10:31 pm
I am in love…much ado about choux!
xoxo I want one! Beignets are the best!
creampuff April 25, 2008 um 11:11 pm
Are you kidding me? Fried cream puff dough … sigh.
Too delicious!
Peabody April 25, 2008 um 11:42 pm
I see Pip tomorrow for Brunch!
Well you know how I feel about fried dough. I would say send them to me but alas they would not fair well in the mail.
LyB April 25, 2008 um 11:59 pm
I love the sprinkle of icing sugar everywhere in the first photo, very playful! Your choux look delicious! We have something called "pets de soeurs" here in Québec, but they’re made with leftover pie dough sprinkled with brown sugar, heavy cream, then rolled up and baked, yum!
Anonymous April 26, 2008 um 12:16 am
Hi!
I am amazed as usual. When you posted about the chocolate caramel mousse I already fell in love with the jars and the write-on labels. Could you please tell me where you got them?
I am sure the party turned out to be phenomenal with all this talent "behind the scenes".
Have a great weekend,
Alexandra
Lori April 26, 2008 um 12:22 am
Good luck. Knowing your talent i am sure you and your desserts will be stellar!
Deborah April 26, 2008 um 12:32 am
These sound great! It makes me want to slow down this weekend and make time for a fun breakfast!
Anonymous April 26, 2008 um 2:04 am
Deep fried cream puffs… Brilliant! This really sounds incredible. Do they puff up enough to pipe some curd inside or is the curd more for dipping?
Manggy April 26, 2008 um 2:16 am
Apricot curd!! That is just genius. I’ve also been too familiar with churros that I’ve never thought to make beignets! You’re really raising the bar here! 😀
Kristen April 26, 2008 um 2:37 am
I love that you have all of those cream puffs to make for a party and you still will throw together something so delicious for breakfast. That Apricot curd sounds delicious!!
Helene April 26, 2008 um 2:57 am
Sarah: mango nectar would work and be great with these too. You can pretty much turn any juice into a curd.
Alex: I got the jars at World Market here in SC. They are labeled as spice jar and come with their own little chalk. They are also cheap $1.99. Let me know if you would like me to pick you some up and send them to you, they are not on their website.
Marc: the curd is more for dipping as they shrink within two minutes. These were too small to inject with curd but I am far from saying it is impossible 🙂
Ginny April 26, 2008 um 3:52 am
I love the post…looks delicious! I would love some for breakfast tomorrow morning… 🙂
Susan @ SGCC April 26, 2008 um 4:45 am
Holy Moly! They look fabulous! Can I have them for brunch instead? I’m planning on sleeping in realllly late tomorrow!
Unknown April 26, 2008 um 6:54 am
Seriously. I stop by your blog every day, although not in a creepy stalker-esque way, more in a humble supplicant to the Patron Saint of Gorgeous Creations way…and this one has roused me out of a bedtime perusal into full-on cooking frenzy. As always, you are a tremendous inspiration; it’s gorgeous, it’s beautiful, you make it all look so effortless and easy to accomplish! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Rosa's Yummy Yums April 26, 2008 um 7:58 am
Ever so scrumptious and refined! A great idea! Wonderful…
Cheers,
Rosa
Peter M April 26, 2008 um 11:41 am
Hello New Orleans…buh-bye donut…the beignet is here to stay!
Shelby April 26, 2008 um 11:42 am
Sounds Delicious! Maybe Grumpy and I will have to try these on Sunday morning! YUMM!
Cookie baker Lynn April 26, 2008 um 12:44 pm
Yes, I can see why that name made you giggle as a child. They are adorable and pairing them with apricot would make a dream breakfast. What a doll your husband is to fry for you!
Anonymous April 26, 2008 um 1:54 pm
Those Beignets look divine! I have never tried Apricot curd. I bet it’s delicious! Very nice.
Tarah at Genesis of a Cook April 26, 2008 um 2:17 pm
Mmm, those looks so good. I could really go for this morning :]
Mama Mia April 26, 2008 um 3:23 pm
I could eat this for breakfast, lunch, & dinner, & snacks… Looks SOOO good!
Anonymous April 26, 2008 um 3:34 pm
These look incredible. And, beautiful photos as usual!
Anonymous April 26, 2008 um 7:25 pm
Those look absolutely lovely and sound like the perfect breakfast!
Ann April 26, 2008 um 9:01 pm
What an entertaining post! Loved it. What a busy life you lead – and still, you found time to entertain us with something delicious. 😉
Anonymous April 27, 2008 um 3:36 am
apricot curd? i am a curd freak, but i didn’t know you could make it with apricots!
Anonymous April 27, 2008 um 5:52 am
Well, you know the sayin': "If a woman makes you beignets in the morning, marry her right away."
Huh? What?.. That’s not a saying?!… well it should be!!
Those look sinfully good! 😉
Jaime April 27, 2008 um 6:55 pm
i really need to try some beignets! can you believe i still have never had any? the apricot curd sounds delicious too…i’ve only had key lime curd, but i can imagine how good the apricot stuff would be too 🙂
Jenny April 27, 2008 um 8:28 pm
That’s quite the special breakfast. My kids would love it.
Julie April 27, 2008 um 9:18 pm
Did I already tell you I love making choux pastry? I can’t remember. I never would have thought of frying it. I do like healthier breakfasts (scones are healthy right:)), but I can’t not try this.
Lore April 28, 2008 um 7:13 am
That apricot curd sounds heavenly, I love that you put lime zest in it even if it’s just 1 tsp.
Erika April 28, 2008 um 12:09 pm
I had wonderful Strawberry Beignets recently and you have inspired me to try them. Yours look amazing!
Patricia Scarpin April 28, 2008 um 8:08 pm
I have never tried beignets, Helen, and I know whose recipe I’ll be using once I decide making them… 😉
Patricia Scarpin April 28, 2008 um 8:11 pm
These have been on my mind ever since I saw Garret’s post. Your cookies look flawless, Susan!
Anonymous April 29, 2008 um 2:02 am
What sort of sugar did you coat them with? Is it just powdered sugar??
Anonymous July 4, 2008 um 2:14 pm
Hi!
They have added the spice jars online – waiting was worth it. I appreciate your offer of course. Thank you very much for telling me your source. I think the jars are so adorable, can’t wait for them to arrive 😉