Making Beignets at Café du Monde
By: Michael Serio
Our long road trip at the end of 2019 that led us through Tallahassee, Biloxi, Memphis and Atlanta, included a quick stop at the Riverwalk in New Orleans. Armed with my phone/camera, I watched (and recorded) the making of beignets at Café du Monde. Sorry about the muffled audio… the line was crowded and I didn’t wanna look like some goofy TV reporter so I recorded it surreptitiously.
Jimmy Buffet’s song “The Wino and I Know” seems to sum it up pretty well.
Well the coffee is strong
at the Cafe Du Monde,
And the donuts are too hot to touch;
But just like a fool, when those
sweet goodies cool, I ate ’til I ate way too much.
Cause I’m livin’ on things that excite me,
Be they pastries or lobsters or love;
I’m just tryin’ to get by being quiet and shy,
In a world full of pushin’ and shove.
Writer: J. Buffett
Abraham Lincoln was in the White House when Café du Monde opened it’s doors in 1862. The Cajun inspired recipe for beignets as well as the Creole based formula for dark roasted coffee and chicory have not changed in 150 years. Locals and visitors worldwide flock to “The Big Easy” to try them. As you’ll see in our video, making beignets is as much art as it is science. The results are perfect every time… a soft pillowy pastry prepared in front of you, then bagged, coated with powdered sugar and served fresh while they’re still warm.
Don’t even bother visiting New Orleans if it doesn’t mean a stop at Café du Monde.
