Oh yes. This is happening.

Now that your Ginger Crème Pâtissière and your Brioche dough are both chilling in the fridge, it’s time to make some magic…

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Step One

Take the Ginger Crème Pâtissière out of the fridge so it comes to room temperature.

Make the Rhubarb compote with these ingredients:

• 3 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 ½ Tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon orange zest
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch (not pictured)
• pinch of salt (not pictured)

Throw all of the ingredients into a medium sauce pan and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes until the mixture is thick, but the rhubarb does not break down.

Set it aside and let it cool.

 

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Step Two

Work the dough. If you made the full batch of brioche, you’ll need to divide and store what you’re not going to use today. Your dough should look something like this when you pull it out of the fridge:

Toss flour on the surface and dip a pair of kitchen shears in flour, and cut the dough into four sections.

Then wrap the three sections you’ll not be using in cling wrap. I like to weigh and label them accordingly so I know what I’ve got to work with when inspiration strikes.

Freeze these for up to two weeks (though if I’m honest, I’ve had them frozen for about a month and still had good results.)

Then, set up a beignet making station that has all your equipment and ingredients ready to go:

• cutting board
• rolling pin
• flour, for dusting
• small dish of water
• dough
• rhubarb compote
• ginger creme
• scoops or spoons for “dolloping”
• cookie sheet or tray lined with was paper

 

Smooth the brioche dough by pulling down on the sides and around to the bottom of the dough ball. You don’t want to knead the bread or you’ll loose the air pockets that have been growing in the fridge.

Lay it on a floured surface, flour the top and roll it out to a 1/4” to 3/16” thickness. You want this as thin as possible but that will still hold your filling.

Divide it with a pizza cutter or knife

and fill it by placing a dollop of Ginger Crème Pâtissière in the center, with a dollop of rhubarb compote,

and folding it onto itself.

To make the seal secure, I dip my finger in the water dish and gently trace around the edge of the square. It helps the bond as clay in pottery. Give it a pinch, set it on the wax paper and let it rest for 15 minutes.

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Step Three

While you’re resting your beignet, heat your oil in a Fry Daddy or deep pot with oil. I use an organic canola that runs clear:

…this is after two rounds of beignet frying. You can use any high heat oil of your choice. Some (not all) coconut oils are nice, too.

You’ll want the temp to stay around 360°, and you’ll know if it’s too hot or cold by the color you start getting out of the beignet. If it turns too dark too soon, lower your heat, but if it doesn’t sizzle when it drops in, give it some more.

Drop your little dough balls in there for about two minutes,

and then flip them when the color is nice and golden. Give it another minute or two. The eye is the judge more than the timer on this one.

Use a slotted spoon or spider to lift them onto a drying rack.

Don’t let them cool too much! After the oil has dried, sprinkle with powder sugar, plate it, and let some vanilla ice cream melt next to the heat…

…it’s a good way to go.

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