“America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco and New Orleans. Everywhere else is Cleveland.” – Tennessee Williams

In 2013, my cousin and her oldest daughter (who was about 2.5 years old) came over to make beignets (pronounced ben-yay) to celebrate Fat Tuesday. In 2014 we added in making gumbo, and it’s been a tradition ever since! We’ve made different variations along the way, and finally settled on the perfect recipe.

So what are beignets and gumbo? Beignets are a delightful, donut-like puffs of fried dough from New Orleans. They are topped with a mountain of powdered sugar, and are typically dunked in café au lait. They can also be dipped (or filled) in preserves, fruit curd, chocolate sauce, etc. You can experiment by mixing in small/chopped fruit, chocolate chips, or go the savory route and add cheese and veggies (like mushrooms). The amount of sugar in the recipe is small enough that the dough itself really isn’t sweet, so the possibilities are endless. (This recipe is after the gumbo recipe, so just scroll down a bit!)

Gumbo is a stew that is the official state cuisine of Louisiana. It’s typically thickened with a French dark roux - flour and fat (typically equal amounts) cooked together to create a thickener for soups and sauces. Gumbo can be easily personalized. You can choose to added tomatoes, okra, filé powder and extra cayenne for some heat. Tip: make it a day ahead, or at least save some for the next day. The flavors realyl come together beautifully, and it takes even better if you wait.

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do! We also love getting the Zapp’s chips to munch on while everything is cooking; they have an array of amazing flavors.

I highly recommend visiting New Orleans at least once in your life. It’s such a unique experience. Be sure to stop by Café Du Monde to enjoy their beignets and café au lait, and spend some time on Frenchmen St. for some of the best live music you will ever see. Be sure to explore the entire city (not just Bourbon Street) for a memorable time.

Gumbo - serves 8 - 10

What you need…

A large dutch oven, or large soup pot

1.5 pounds chicken thighs, seasoned with cajun seasoning, cooked and pulled or chopped

12 oz andouille sausage, sliced into coins

1/2 cup reserved bacon grease (oil or butter are acceptable alternatives, but i highly recommend bacon grease)

1/2 cup flour

2 - 3 tablespoons cajun seasoning (below*)

1 bay leaf

2 medium onions, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

3-4 stalks of celery, chopped

2 small heads of garlic, minced

1 bunch green onions, finely chopped - reserve the greens for topping

1 bunch of parsley, finely chopped

8 cups chicken or seafood stock

1 (14 oz) can of diced tomatoes (optional)

12 oz crawfish tail meat ( peeled, deveined shrimp, crabmeat or langostino meat are good substitutes depending on what you can find)

1 (10 oz) package of frozen, cut okra, thawed (optional, you may use fresh as well. I don’t like okra so I don’t typically put it in)

Filé powder - for topping (optional)

Cooked Rice - for serving

French bread - for dipping and swiping the bowl clean

Directions

Brown both sides of the andouille sausage coins in the pot, and set aside. Make the Roux: On medium heat, melt the bacon grease (or butter/oil) until hot. Whisk in the flour, and stir periodically for 10-15 minutes. Do not walk away, you can risk burning the roux. Over this time, it will brown. You want to aim for milk chocolate color - this gives the gumbo depth and richness. (If you scroll to the pictures, you will see a color development photo to reference). Once your roux has reached the right color, add the chopped vegetables and 2 tablespoons cajun seasoning - sauté for about 5 minutes; the vegetables will begin to sweat and become aromatic.

Slowly, and carefully, stir in the broth until the roux and broth have incorporated. Add the chicken, sausage, tomatoes and okra at this time. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for about 45 minutes. (If you would like it thicker, continue to simmer until desired thickness.) Add your seafood of choice and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, until fully heated through/cooked if raw.

Give the gumbo a taste. At this point you can add additional cajun seasoning, salt, pepper and cayenne. Serve over rice and top with the greens from the green onion and filé powder. Add a spinkle of cayenne for an extra kick! Enjoy!

Homemade Cajun seasoning: Combine 3 tablespoons smoked paprika, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 2 tablespoons garlic powder, 1 tablespoon each - ground black pepper, onion powder, dried oregano, cayenne (omit this if you want to control the spiciness for each individual bowl), 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme. Store in a sealed container, preferably in the fridge.

Beignets - makes about 2 dozen

What you need…

1 cup whole milk

2 tablespoons butter

2-4 tablespoons sugar (if you want additional sweetness)

1 (1/4 oz) package active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons. Do not use rapid yeast)

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 tablespoon vanilla or rum (optional - for traditional sweet beignets)

Oil - for frying

Powdered Sugar

Dutch oven or heavy bottom pot - for frying

Thermometer - you will need one that is safe for fry oil. A candy thermometer works, or a digital thermometer with a probe.

Metal tongs or a metal slotted spoon/spider strainer

Paper towels

Directions

Heat the milk until it starts to steam - you can do this in a saucepan, or if you have a “beverage” button on the microwave, heat it that way (it brings it to the perfect temperature). You want it to be hot, but not so hot that you can’t hold your finger in the milk; like a nice, hot bath. Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the milk until the butter and sugar have melted. Stir the yeast in.

Stir in the salt and about half of the flour. Mix in the egg, vanilla and gradually add the remaining flour (and any fruits, cheese, chocolate, etc that you may want to try out). You may need to use your hand to thoroughly mix if a spoon is too difficult to use. Cover with a warm, damp towel and set aside in a warm place for about an hour. (If your house is particularly cold, you can set it in a sunny spot. Or turn your oven onto the warm/hold setting while you prepare the dough, then turn it off and set the bowl inside your oven.) Your dough will be ready for the next step when it’s doubled in size.

Gently knead the dough on a clean, floured surface. Lightly flour the top and roll to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch squares (or fun shaped like hearts if you have a cookie cutter), with a sharp knife or pizza cutter. If you are using a cookie cutter, you can rework the extra dough by gentle kneading it together and rolling it out again. Or you can leave the scrap for frying up small bits of dough. Cover with a warm, damp towel and let rise again for 30-45 minutes. (You can leave them where they are, no need to put them in a warm place).

While the beignets rise, put about 2-3 inches of oil into a dutch oven/pot and heat the oil to 385°F (or 196°C). Once the oil reached temperature, and the beignets have finished their second rise, CAREFULLY add the cut dough into the hot oil. A large pot will fit about 4-5 beignets, just make sure to not crowd them. Allow the bottom side to turn a golden brown before turning. Once both sides are a nice golden brown, carefully remove the beignets and put them onto paper towels o drain the oil (flip them over so both sides are drained). Fry the remaining dough.

Serve warm with a mountain of powdered sugar sifted on top. If you don’t have a sifter, you can put them into paper bags, spoon powdered sugar on top and shake. Dip into a café au lait, or dipping sauces of your preference!