Description
I’ve always wanted to try making some kind of sweet/savory bacon-studded fritter using pate a choux, also known as that stuff you make cream puffs with. I went full breakfast theme, and topped mine with a little maple syrup, but feel free to get your beignet on, and cover them with a pile of powdered sugar.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cold water
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- ½ cup butter
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 12 strips bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
- vegetable oil for deep frying
- ¼ cup maple syrup, for serving
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water into a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add butter
- sugar
- salt and nutmeg. When mixture starts to simmer
- reduce heat to medium and add flour. Cook
- stirring constantly
- until mixture comes together into a soft dough ball
- about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a mixing bowl. Pour in vanilla extract. Break up dough with a whisk or fork
- and let cool for about 5 minutes.
- Break an egg into the bowl with the dough and whisk until egg is incorporated and dough becomes smooth and sticky
- 4 to 5 minutes. Dough will stick inside the whisk; clean out dough with a spatula before adding successive eggs
- 1 at a time. Whisk in each egg until thoroughly incorporated into the dough. Clear dough from whisk; scrape down sides of bowl. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill for about an hour.
- Place bacon in cold skillet. Cook over medium heat
- stirring occasionally
- until bacon is browned and crisp and fat is rendered
- 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer bacon pieces to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. When bacon is cool enough to handle
- place it on a cutting board and chop into small pieces. Reserve some bacon bits for topping the doughnuts.
- Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Remove dough from refrigerator and stir in bacon pieces.
- Drop dough by scoopfuls (about 2 tablespoons) into hot oil. Fry in batches to avoid crowding. Fry until dough begins to puff and brown
- turning occasionally. After doughnuts expand and crack
- keep turning them until they are evenly browned
- about 7 minutes. Transfer to paper toweled-lined plate to drain slightly.
- Serve hot
- drizzled with maple syrup and topped with bacon pieces.
Prep Time: 25 mins
Cook Time: 7 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 32 mins
Servings: 6