National Beignet Day, September 17th, was declared in 2024 by the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group.
 
 
WHAT’S MARDI GRAS?

The Carnival season begins on or after the Epiphany or King’s Day (January 6th) and culminates on the day before Ash Wednesday.

Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday refers to the practice of eating richer, fatty foods the last night before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday.

Mardi Gras is sometimes referred to as Shrove Tuesday, from the word shrive, meaning “confess.” But the idea of rich foods is far more appealing.

Why “Carnival?”

Centuries ago, Catholics in Italy started the tradition of holding a wild costume festival right before the first day of Lent. It stuck, engendering huge Carnival events elsewhere, including New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro.

[1] Beignets should be enjoyed warm, with a cup of strong coffee (photo © Orsay Restaurant | New York City.

A beignet (pronounced bayn-YAY, the french word for bump) is deep-fried choux pastry dough.

It’s a fritter similar to the German Spritzkuchen, the Italian zeppole and the Spanish churro. It can take on different shapes and flavorings depending on local preferences.

 
Beignets were brought to Louisiana by the Acadians, immigrants from Canada*, whose fritters were sometimes filled with fruit. Today’s beignets are a square or round piece of dough, fried and covered with powdered sugar. The fruit (in the form of jam) is now served, optionally, on the side.

The beignets at Café du Monde in New Orleans are worth going out of your way for (they taste best at the main location). After buying their mix and making them at home, we were unable to match the glory of the original, although we admit, we did not use cottonseed oil as they do.

In New Orleans, the beignet is also known as the French Market doughnut, and it is the Louisiana State doughnut. (How many states have an official state doughnut?)

At Café du Monde, beignets are served in orders of three. The cafe is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except for Christmas Day.
 
 
HOW TO EAT A BEIGNET

In New Orleans, beignets are served with the local favorite, chicory-laced coffee.

You can enjoy them plain, with fruit curd or jam or with chocolate sauce.
 
_________________

*The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia. That colony was located in what is now Eastern Canada’s Maritime provinces—New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island—as well as part of Quebec and present-day Maine to the Kennebec River. Acadia was a distinctly separate colony of New France (which became Canada); the Acadians and Québécois developed two distinct histories and cultures. (Source: Wikipedia)

The recipe below is from Nielsen-Massey, manufacturer of some of the finest extracts in the world, including the vanilla extract used in the recipe.
 
 
RECIPE #1: VANILLA BEIGNET BITES

Ingredients For 6 Dozen Beignets

1. COMBINE warm water, yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar n a small bowl; set aside to activate yeast. In a medium bowl, add butter, half-and-half and vanilla extract; stir and set aside. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl; set aside.

2. COMBINE the flour, sugar, salt and cardamom in the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer. Place the bowl on a mixer stand fitted with a dough hook. Turn the mixer on low speed and combine the dry ingredients. Turn the mixer to medium speed, then add the activated yeast mixture. Add the half-and-half mixture, then add the whisked eggs. Mix until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl when necessary. The dough will be slightly sticky.

3. PLACE the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead, about 2-3 minutes; add additional flour if needed. Lightly coat a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and keep warm until the dough has doubled in size, about 2 hours. After the dough has risen, place it on a lightly floured surface and gently knead. Roll the dough into a rectangle, about ¼-inch thick. With a pizza cutter, cut the dough into small rectangles, about 1 x ½-inch pieces.

4. HEAT the oil to 375°F. Carefully place dough in hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 45-60 seconds. Turn the beignets so that both sides are golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Dust with Vanilla Powdered Sugar (recipe below) while bites are still warm. Serve with plain, with chocolate sauce, lemon curd or raspberry jam.
 
 
RECIPE 2: VANILLA POWDERED SUGAR

Ingredients For 1/2 Cup

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the ingredients in a small bowl.
 
 

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This recipe is from Chef David Venable of QVC, who calls it “an easy-to-tackle version, filled with great Louisiana flavor and spice.” Gumbos have a lot of ingredients, but the cooking technique isn’t demanding.

Says David, “When preparing, be sure to chop your veggies in similar sizes to ensure that they cook at the same rate.” In this recipe, okra is used as a thickener, and also gives personality to the gumbo.
 
 
RECIPE: CHICKEN & SAUSAGE GUMBO WITH OKRA

Ingredients

 
Plus

[1] An easy gumbo, with chicken, okra and sausage (photo © QVC).

[2] You can also enjoy andouille sausage in a hot dog roll or hero sandwich (photo © Zatarain’s).

1. SEASON the chicken thighs with creole seasoning. Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a 6-quart or larger stockpot over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage and set it aside.

2. ADD the chicken to the pot with the sausage drippings and cook over medium-high heat until brown on both sides. Remove the chicken and set it aside.

3. ADD the remaining 1/2 cup of oil and the flour, over medium heat. Cook the mixture, stirring slowly and constantly, for 10-15 minutes, or until dark brown. Be careful not to burn or scorch.

4. ADD the onions, garlic, celery, and bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Slowly add the broth and stir until there are no lumps. Add the tomatoes, rice, salt, cayenne, bay leaves, thyme, and okra. Stir and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes.

5. ADD the chicken and cooked sausage to the gumbo. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, plate, garnish with a sprinkle of parsley and serve with a side of rice.
 
 

Grab store-bought cupcakes or cake and a bag of baking chips, regular or mini.

They’re available in a rainbow of flavors/colors: butterscotch, cappuccino, caramel, cherry, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, mint, peanut butter, peppermint (white chips with bits of candy cane) and vanilla (white chocolate). We found them all on Amazon.

Nestle’s makes a Winter Blend of dark chocolate and mint chips that’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day.

In the photo, peanut butter mini chips garnish a Crumbs chocolate cupcake filled with peanut butter frosting, topped with peanut butter and chocolate frosting.

Peanut butter-chocolate cupcake with a rim of peanut butter chips. Photo courtesy Crumbs.

 
MORE TO DO WITH BAKING CHIPS (CHOCOLATE CHIPS OR ANY FLAVOR)

March 2nd is National Banana Creme Pie Day. But is it banana creme or banana cream?

Crème, pronounced crehm, is the French word for cream. As recipes evolved in the U.S., the trend was to emulate French spellings to give the recipe a cachet. Doesn’t soupe du jour (typically misspelled as soup du jour) sound better than today’s soup?

Thus, in the name of cachet (or perhaps they weren’t good spellers), some of America’s bakers and restaurants began to offer creme pies. The proper use, however is cream pie.

To compound the error, crème got pronounced as creem—that’s right, the same as cream. So why the incorrect and pretentious spelling?

It would be nice to go back and correct the mistakes of the past, but that just won’t happen. So feel free to use the words interchangeably.

And bake this delicious double banana cream pie recipe (photo #1). The “double” comes from an American invention: Instead of just banana creme/cream in the pie crust, there is a layer of fresh-sliced bananas. It’s the way to go!

Want a chocolate crust? That’s a black bottom banana cream pie.

> The history of banana cream pie follows.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> Cream vs. creme: Which is correct?

> The year’s 10 banana holidays.

> The year’s 31 pie holidays.

> The history of bananas.

> The history of pie.

> The different types of pie: a photo glossary.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF BANANA CREAM PIE

How long have we had banana cream pie?

Pie is an ancient dish, although not the sweet pies and meat pies we know today. For much of pie history, the dough was inedible, used as a casing for meat pies to keep the juices in, before the widespread availability of pie pans.

Cream, custard and pudding pies date back to medieval times.

But while bananas were first domesticated in Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea, by at least 5000 B.C.E. and possibly as far back as 8000 B.C.E., they weren’t readily available in the U.S. until the 1880s, due to improved transportation and aggressive marketing.

Busy bakers then refitted the traditional custard pie with a banana cream filling, and banana cream pie found its way into the recipe books. Late 19th and early 20th century cookbooks are full of banana recipes.

The oldest published American recipes for “banana pie” date to the late 19th century. They fill the pie crust with sliced bananas, not a banana cream/custard like today’s pies.

[1] Double banana cream pie: banana pudding over a layer of ripe bananas. Here’s a recipe (photo © McCormick).

[2] Topped with whipped cream and a few extra slices of banana (photo © Taste Of Home).

[3] National Banana Day is April 417th (photo © Eiliv Sonas Aceron | Unsplash).

In 1906, The Blue Ribbon Cook Book provided a banana and custard filling, but the two were not blended together into today’s familiar, creamy banana filling. Instead, sliced bananas lined the bottom of the crust, and the custard was poured over it.

By 1950 we get a version covered with whipped cream and toasted coconut. But the blended filling of creamy banana pudding? Our friends at FoodTimeline.org, which provided this history, don’t have it. Our mom, who was baking at the time, says “late 1950s, early 1960s.”

In 1971, restaurateurs in England invented the banoffee iie, a combination of banana cream and thick caramel (toffee) sauce. Some versions of the recipe include chocolate, coffee, or both [source].

Many bakers have created their own versions of banana cream pie, from adding a layer of peanut butter or Nutella on the bottom crust, to toppimg the pie with lots of whipped cream and coconut, à la coconut cream pie.

Some make a meringue topping, others drizzle salted caramel, shaved chocolate, whatever.

For a tropical touch, top the whipped cream with a small dice of guava, mango, papaya, and pineapple—banana’s tropical mates.

Emeril tops his banana cream pie with whipped cream, caramel sauce, and chocolate ribbons (the recipe).

For a quickie, make a “deconstructed” banana cream pie: banana pudding topped with shortbread crumbs.

The original pie, with sliced bananas on the bottom, survives today as “Double Banana Cream Pie: sliced bananas topped with banana cream pudding. Here’s a recipe.
 

[4] How about a chocolate banana cream pie? Here’s the recipe. For a quick touch of chocolate, use a chocolate cookie crust on a regular banana cream pie (photo © Love & Olive Oil).

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Most people will concur that “carbohydrates are bad for you.” But just as there are good oils and bad oils, there are healthful and bad carbs.

COMPLEX CARBS = GOOD CARBS

“Good carbs,” more scientifically called complex carbohydrates, are important in your diet. Their chemical structure and density of fiber require the body to work harder to digest them, so energy is released over a longer time (this is the definition of “low glycemic”). They are:

 
For the most part, good carbs are consumed in their “natural” state or close to it. They include:

It’s easy to add good carbs to every meal—even in dishes more humble than lobster on quinoa. Photo courtesy David Burke Kitchen.

Consume three to five portions of them daily.
 

SIMPLE CARBS = BAD CARBS

Now for the bad news. Many of the foods that are staples of the American diet are bad carbs. They are calorie-dense, not nutrient-dense. They include:

 
Why are these carbs bad? They’re:

WHOLE GRAINS: CHECK THE LIST

Here’s an exercise for National Nutrition Month. The list below contains whole grains, some of which may not be familiar names. But they are available in natural foods stores and they are all delicious.

1. PRINT out the list below and put a check at the left side of each whole grain that’s part of your weekly diet. Use one check mark for each time you consume the grain during an average week.

2. REVIEW all the others, and select five whole grains you’d like to try. Check those grains on the left side of the list.

3. BUY those new whole grains and plan to try at least one over the next five weeks.

4. WORK more of the whole grains you already use into your meal plans. Replace potatoes and white rice.

 
*Grits are refined and are not whole grains.
†Salba is a trademarked name for chia. Kamut® is a trademarked name for khorasan wheat.
‡Chia and flaxseed are best used sprinkled onto foods or mixed into recipes for extra nutrition.

HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED?

Eat three or more servings of whole grain daily.

The most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released in January 2011, recommends that all adults eat at least half their grains as whole grains. That’s at least 3 to 5 servings of whole grains; children need a minimum of 2 to 3 servings.

Yet, the average American eats less than one daily serving of whole grains; some studies show that more than 40% of Americans never eat whole grains at all.

But you, an educated, concerned consumer/parent/whatever, can do the right thing!

For more information, visit WholeGrainsCouncil.org.