There is not much new happening at the farm. Lee finished the second run-in shed. He used the best of the bridge boards and the left over metal from the other outbuildings, so we saved a lot of money. Now the horses have a warm and dry place to go in each pasture, should they need it. This picture is a bit fuzzy. I took it from the upstairs office so I could get both sheds in one picture. There is a screen on the window, so there you have it....
I went for a visit to see Mom in California. It was nice to have a visit when everyone I was going to see was well and happy. It is still hectic, but worth the visit.
Due to a dearth of farm news, I have a wonderful recipe. We ran out of beignet mix and still wanted some. They have quite a few without any yeast, but this one sounded best. It was from Cooking.com with a few moderations and was delish. Don't leave out the blueberry sauce. Just because they don't do it that way at the Cafe Du Monde is no reason to leave it out. Try it and you may never have beignets without it!
Beignets with Blueberry Sauce
SAUCE
1 package frozen blueberries
1 cup sugar
BEIGNETS
1 cup warm milk
1 package dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of butter
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
Oil or shortening for deep frying, I used canola
Powdered sugar
Place the frozen blueberries in a medium sauce pan. Add the sugar. Cook over low heat. Stir frequently. I like to let it cook down to thicken it.
Combine the milk, yeast and sugar in a large bowl. Let it stand until the yeast dissolves and starts to bubble; about 5 minutes. Mix in the salt, eggs and melted butter.
Add the 3 cups of flour to form a sticky dough.
Dump the dough out onto a well floured surface. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding flour as necessary.
Lightly oil the original bowl and plop the dough back in. Roll it around a few times to coat it and cover it and let it rise until doubled, about 40 minutes. Don't forget to stir the blueberries!
Heat the oil in a deep fryer or wok or heavy Dutch oven to 325. Use a thermometer. I used a Dutch oven and had to keep adjusting the temperature. Don't put the dough in when it is too cool. You will get greasy beignets. Don't forget to stir the blueberries!
While the oil is heating, put the dough on a floured surface. Punch it down and let it stand covered for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the dough with flour and roll it out into a 12 X 12 square. Using a pizza cutter ( or a knife) cut the dough into 4 strips and then cut those into 6 pieces each. You can trim the edges if you wish, but I didn't. Don't forget to stir the blueberries!
Layer three large paper towels to soak up the oil and start frying. Work in batches. Remember to keep an eye on the thermometer. When you add new dough it will lower the temperature. Don't let it get too hot, either. Fry the dough until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Use a slotted metal spoon to turn them and then to transfer to the paper towels. Arrange 3 beignets on a plate and simply drown them in powdered sugar from a sifter or a metal strainer. I put the blueberry sauce in a gravy boat and let guests add their own, but you can drizzle them with sauce and circle the plates with it.
These are to be eaten with your fingers, so have a lot of napkins out and prepare to vacuum!
