Phenomenal Phoods

Blood Orange Beignets

Ingredients:

For the beignets:

• 1 package rapid rise yeast
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 egg
• Zest of 1 blood orange (regular oranges are fine as well)
• 3 1/4 cups flour (plus extra for rolling)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups powdered sugar

For the blood orange curd (adapted from this recipe for lemon curd from Sally's Baking Addiction):

• 4 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup sugar
• Zest from 3 blood oranges
• 1/3 cup blood orange juice
• 4 tablespoons butter

Instructions:

For the beignets:

1. Whisk together the yeast, sugar, milk, melted butter, egg and orange zest in a large bowl. If you are using active dry instead of rapid rise yeast, you will need to activate the yeast by combining it with just the warm milk and letting it sit and foam up for about 5 minutes before adding the other wet ingredients.
2. Stir in the flour, salt and baking powder, just until combined.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for 1 - 1 1/2 hours until the dough has doubled in size.
4. Punch down the dough and place on a lightly floured surface.Roll it out into a large rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. It was about 18 x 14 in total, but that's not exact.
5. Use a pizza cutter or pastry roller to cut into squares. I didn't measure these, but just try to get them as even in size as possible.
6. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let them rise for about 20 minutes while you heat the oil for frying.In a large, deep pot (I used my dutch oven) heat about 2 inches of vegetable or canola oil to 375 degrees F.
7. When your oil is ready, work in batches of 4-6 depending on the size of your pot and fry the beignets for about 1 minute per side until golden brown.
8. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the oil and immediately toss in powdered sugar. Set them on a parchment-lined baking tray for a minute or two until cool enough to eat. Serve with blood orange curd for dipping.

For the blood orange curd (adapted from this recipe for lemon curd from Sally's Baking Addiction):

1. While your dough is rising, make the orange curd.
2. Combine the egg yolks, sugar, orange zest and orange juice in a double boiler. If you don't have one like me, just put it in a heat-safe bowl over a pot filled with about an inch of simmering water on medium-low heat.
3. Whisk continuously until the curd thickens, 5-10 minutes. If you stop whisking or have your heat too high, your eggs will scramble so be careful.
4. Remove from the heat and add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it is melted.
5. Transfer to a another container like a jar, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate to thicken and chill. If you put the plastic wrap directly on top of the curd, this will prevent a skin from forming on top.