Are Beignets A French Breakfast Or A Dessert? We Have Your Answer.

Whether you've eaten one on the lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower itself or just watched through a screen as Tiana Rogers served them in Disney's "The Princess and the Frog," you've likely heard of a beignet. The French pastry, sometimes referred to as a French donut, is a deep-fried sweet dough, usually cut into squares and sprinkled heavily with powdered sugar. It's a slightly complicated recipe ladened with proofing and frying in hot oil, but it's a staple of both French and New Orleans culture. While each region's beignets are different in shape and texture, they both pose the same problem: Recipes aren't clear on whether they are a breakfast food or a dessert item. So, which is it?

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Truthfully, beignets can be ... just about anything you want them to be. A whole breakfast, an afternoon snack, a side for lunch, a dessert after dinner, a midnight snack; the range is limitless. Think of them like a donut; sure, some people eat donuts for breakfast, but just as many eat them for a dessert or a midnight treat. With the breadth of possibilities offered, the real question then, is: What's the best way to eat a beignet?

How to enjoy beignets at different times of day

Let's start in the morning, with breakfast. To truly invoke a French experience, whip up a simple and classic café au lait (milk and coffee drink) or try this luscious lavender version for a twist. Pair your beignets with a hearty meal (think eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns; the whole nine yards) or use the beignet as a pillow for this spicy egg sandwich recipe and you'll have a perfectly sweet and spicy breakfast. Or, if you can't handle spice, use the beignets as a base and try these anything-but-bacon substitutes for a different kind of breakfast sandwich. No matter what you do, be sure to stay true to the beignet and coat it with powdered sugar before eating.

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For lunch, you could similarly make a sandwich (such as this chicken, brie, and peach panini). Or, you could serve the beignets whole as a side bread for soup or this slow cooker chicken gumbo.

For the grand finale, we have dessert. Although the pastry is sweet enough as is, who doesn't love just a little more sugar? Common sauces for dipping beignets are chocolate, strawberry, and caramel. For a chunkier, more-smotherable-than-dippable sauce, try this quick and easy strawberry compote. If you want to try something completely new, experiment with a boozy brown sugar whiskey sauce to use as a drizzle. But again, let's say it together: Don't forget the powdered sugar snow!

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