With the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina recently behind us, we thought we'd do our part to aknowlege the hardships of the New Orleans community, and celebrate their past, present and future accomplishments, musical and otherwise. We came across something called a "beignet," which is traditionally served at breakfast with a café au lait.

A beignet is a simple, deep fried pastry whose recipe has remained unaltered since its introduction to New Orleans in the 18th century. And you thought Will Ferrel was was old school. Although smothered in powered sugar, a beignet doughnut is far less sweet than its other American cousins.

When we learned that beignets are typically enjoyed alongside a café au lait, we were in danger of breaking our longstanding "only one silent 't' on each menu" rule. However, since we were honoring New Orleans and its rich French-inspired heritage, we decided to make an exception. We were further reassured when we found out "au lait" translates to "with milk," a combination familiar to us. With that, let's get on with it!

Part I: Man VS. Yeast

Soundtrack: Dr. John - Desitively Bonnaroo

Although the prospect of having cells multiplying in our food was a little unnerving, we started by dissolving yeast in warm water. We made sure the water remained at a temperature that would keep our creature-friends alive and happy until fry time.To our yeasty concoction we added sugar, salt, evaporated milk, flour and an egg. The mixture stubbornly resisted our attempts to make it silky smooth, but eventually gave in. And then we added some butter.We continued to mix while adding more and more flour. The flour infusion seemed to upset the live active cultures. In an epic battle of beast vs. machine, the yeast crept up and paralyzed the machine's wands of destruction. Will was forced to step into this seemingly hopeless situation and engage the yeast in a epic battle of man vs. beast.

Armed only with a primitive wooden club and the power of the human spirit (not to mention his bulging biceps), he was able to slay the yeast beast and end the senseless warfare.

With that, we laid the beast to rest in its Pyrex bowl, decorated with a brown paper fleur-de-lis to chill overnight.
It was the morning after. Thanks to the yeast, the dough rose overnight and was ready to be flattened. After applying a thin mist of flour upon the cutting board and rolling pin, Allison laid down the ball of dough and began to roll. She wielded a fiery rolling pin for upwards of 7 minutes before the dough was consistently flat.

It was then time to cut the dough into the traditional 2.5" squares. To accomplish this, we resorted a technique made popular in the early 18th century. Using an old-world instrument known as a "pizzá slicër," we cut the dough into squares.Once cut into squares, the dough was fully prepped for its long anticipated oily submersion. Our deep fryer was nurturing a vat full of peanut oil at 360° Fahrenheit. We little pastries were hot and fluffy.gingerly laid 5 squares at a time into the oil, to keep the temperature constant. After about two minutes of perpetual motion in the fryer, these cute little pastries were hot and fluffy.

When each piece of dough had become a perfect, luscious pillow, we sprinkled confectioner's sugar over the top.The beignets were begging to be our indulgence, and we obliged.

After what has become known as the Great Deep Fried Strawberry Farce of 2006, the deep frying team decided to turn to something a little bit simpler. A fry time standard. A staple of any legitimate fryer's repoirtire. A dish found on the menu of every visible all-American suburban strip mall chain restaurant.

Mozzarella Sticks.

As we removed our beloved peanut oil from the fridge, it showed signs of significant coagulation. Our worst fears were confirmed when Will turned the oil perpinduclar to the countertop and it remained in place.

Although this was indeed a setback, we scooped the solidified oil with a spoon and loaded it into the fry chamber. Mildly disgusting.

As the oil heated up, we turned our attention to the cheese. We began by cutting each Cowabunga! brand mozzarella stick in half. As the knife cut through delicate cheese tendrils our hunger expanded. The construction of a Lincoln Logs- inspired cheese structure was a welcome distraction from the seemingly unending anticipation.

With the cheese sticks expertly sliced, we prepared the coatings of eggs, milk, and tasty Italian breadcrumbs. We had the option of coating the cheese once, twice, or thrice. Our self-published motto of "Go Big or Go Home," along with the success of Lionel Richie's Three Times A Lady, propelled us to go with the triple coat.

These delicate little logs were just yearning to be fried and become our mid-afternoon snack! Confident in our cheese-wrapping skillz we gallantly lowered them into the now-liquified 375 degree oil. A quick 45 seconds in the oil was all it took to melt the cheese and crisp the outer coating. We were sure to place only five sticks into the oil at a time, to ensure the oil's consistent temperature.

The cheese was melty, the crumbs were crispy, and our mouths were watering. It was clearly an appropriate situation for all parties. We devoured the cheese sticks and removed another deep fried staple from the Deep Frying Adventures master checklist.

It was a Saturday afternoon; the sun was shining and the winds of the West were blowing. The man-made lake next to my apartment complex was sending us the sweet aromas of suburban sea life. Today was the day for squid.


We laid out our freshly defrosted squid on a 100% organic birch cutting board and prepard to create the famous "calamari rings" -- previously thought to be a delicacy reserved for restaurants. The hollow bodies of the squid (also known as "tubes") would be sliced at regular intervals to create the sought after rings. The tentacles would remain intact until fry time. As the squid lay segregated, they called for Allison's freshly-sharpened blade.