chicory café au lait & beignets

Serves 4Makes 24Café au Lait

• 2 tablespoons chicory coffee mix (1 part ground chicory + 2 parts ground French roast coffee)
• 2 cups (16 fluid ounces) brewed chicory coffee
• 2 cups (16 fluid ounces) steamed whole milk

Beignets

• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
• ½ cup + 1 teaspoon sugar, divided
• ½ teaspoon yeast
• 4 fluid ounces butter, melted
• 1 large egg, at room temperature, beaten
• 4 cups (550g) flour, additional for dusting surfaces
• Oil as needed, for frying

To make the chicory coffee blend, combine 1 part ground chicory to 2 parts ground French roast coffee.
Brew 2 cups of coffee using 2 tablespoons of the chicory coffee blend. Divide the brewed coffee 4 ways. Stir ½ cup steamed milk into each ½ cup of coffee and top with steamed milk foam.
For the beignets, heat the evaporated milk to 110 degrees F. Stir in 1 teaspoon sugar and the yeast. Let the yeast dissolve and ferment for 10 minutes.
chicory café au lait & beignets
In a mixing bowl, combine the yeast mixture, melted butter, ½ cup sugar, and egg. Slowly add the flour, mixing until fully combined.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and let rest to double in size, approximately 1 to 2 hours.
In a fryer or saucepan, preheat the oil to 375 degrees F.
On a well-floured surface, roll the dough ball to form a rectangle, ¼-inch thick (for crispier beignets, roll the dough to ⅛-inch instead). Cut into 1x2-inch pieces and use a bench scraper to transfer them to the frying oil. Once browned on one side, turn them over and brown the other side. Remove from oil and transfer to a wire cooling rack to drain off excess oil.
Serve warm, and generously dust with powdered sugar.