Beignets and Fritters

A beignet is French for a fried dessert, and is synonous with a fritter.

If you look up the word "beignet" in a French dictionary, you'll get 'fritter, doughnut.' Similarly, when the word fritter is looked up in the Larousse Gastronomique, the French word 'beignet' is right next to it, with the definition:

Fritter (beignet): A preparation consisting of a piece of cooked or raw food coated in batter and fried in deep fat or oil. Other types of fritters can be made using choux pastry, yeast dough, or waffle batter...The principle of the fritter is simple, but the dishes vary enormously in shape and taste and range from regional specialties to classical dishes.

Recipes for beignets range from a doughnut-like cut-out fried dessert to a batter-coated fried fruit dessert.

Batter recipes that contain beer for the liquid will give the finished dessert a slightly yeasty flavor, which complements many fruits.

Fruits for fruit fritters may be macerated in sugar and/or a liqueur like kirsch, rum or Calvados before battering - the liqueur depends on the fruit, and can complement or give added flavors. Drain the fruit thoroughly before dipping into the batter and frying.

Fritters and beignets are typically dusted with a bit of powdered sugar before serving.

Doughnuts / Donuts

Doughnuts are fried desserts made from a specific dough and are typically rolled and cut out or formed. The two types of doughnut doughs used: yeast based 'risen' or quick bread 'cake'. Popular doughnut shapes include rings, twists, doughnut holes (tiny balls), or round shapes that are easy to fill.

Doughnuts are almost always served with some type of coating. Examples: superfine sugar, powdered sugar, glaze, poured fondant, soft icings. Sprinkles for decoration are also used, like jimmies and coarse colored sugar.

Other Fried Desserts

Other fried desserts include:

Churros- Mexican / Spanish dessert made from choux pastry and coated with cinnamon sugar.

Zeppole - Italian fritters sometimes served with a filling.

Funnel cakes - Deep fried dessert made from a batter dropped from a funnel usually dusted with powdered sugar.

Sopaipillas / Sopapillas - Southwestern crispy puffs drizzled with honey and often flavored with cinnamon or honey.

Buñuelos - Mexican / Spanish fried crisp pastry dusted with cinnamon sugar.

Rosettes - Fried pastry made from a thin batter and using a special rosette iron.

French Crullers / Crullers - French crullers are a deep fried pastry made from Pate a choux, crullers are a twisted yeast doughnut.

Cannolis - Italian fried pastry formed around a cylinder mold and filled with a sweet ricotta filling.

Cream Horns - Pastry wrapped around a cone mold, and filled with whipped cream.

This article was first published on pastrysampler.com on August 29, 2012. It was updated on October 17, 2020.

Sources:

Lang, Jenifer Harvey, ed. Larousse Gastronomique. The New American Edition of the World's Greatest Culinary Encyclopedia. New York: Crown, 1988.

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