For a taste of New Orleans, head to Overton Park this Saturday for Café du Memphis!
“Café du Memphis is a gathering of the Memphis community sponsored by Rotary. We cook beignets, shrimp and grits … and it’s for the benefit of Dorothy Day House here in Memphis,” explains event committee member Pierre Landaiche.
“We call it Café du Memphis because we serve almost 3,000 beignets that Saturday morning. It’s like being at the French Quarter at Café du Monde.”
I asked Pierre to share some tips on making beignets.
First and foremost, what is a beignet?
“A beignet is a French donut. It’s pastry that we deep fry and it’s a little pillow of goodness.”
Made with pantry staples like water, flour, sugar, eggs, and yeast … these pillow-y donuts need a little TLC to make.
“The key to perfect beignets is to make the dough ahead of time to allow them to rise.”
Once risen, what’s next?
“Roll your dough out about a quarter-inch thick and cut them into 2-inch squares.”
Any tricks for frying?
“It’s very important to make sure the temperature of the oil is 350 degrees. And when you are cooking them, turn them only once, until both sides are golden brown.”
And last but not least …
“And the best part … don’t forget! … is the powdered sugar!”
The third annual Café du Memphis is from 9a to noon at The East Parkway Pavilion at Overton Park. Fun for the whole family … the Rotarians and volunteers will be busy serving shrimp and grits, beignets, café au lait, mimosas, bloody mary's, and much more.
This is Jennifer Chandler with The Weekly Dish. Bon Appetit!
For tickets and more information about Café du Memphis, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cafe-du-memphis-2017-benefitting-the-dorothy-day-house-tickets-32694364725.
