Cajun cooking is the country cooking of Louisiana, the spicy intersection of French and Southern culinary traditions. One of the world's best-loved regional cuisines, it was developed by descendants of Acadians who were driven south from Nova Scotia in the 1700s because of their religion. Eula Mae Doré has been cooking Cajun food on Avery Island, home of the McIlhenny family and their Tabasco pepper sauce, for more than half a century.
Food writer Marcelle Bienvenu has spent hundreds of hours in the kitchen by Eula Mae’s side capturing the fine flavors of her self-taught cooking.
Eula Mae’s Cajun Kitchen is organized into menus reflecting the rhythm of life on Avery Island, such as Mardi Gras, The Trapper’s Camp, A Spring Luncheon, A Summer Fishing Trip, and Halloween Bonfire. More than 100 traditional Cajun dishes are complemented with Eula Mae’s reminiscences of her family and her years on Avery Island.
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix well.
Combine the eggs, melted butter, milk, vanilla, and nutmeg in a small bowl and mix well.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the egg mixture, and stir in one direction with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball and all the flour is incorporated. (Hold the ball in the center with a fork and run the dough around the bowl to pick up the flour on the edges of the bowl.)
Turn the dough out on a lightly floured work surface and pat it into a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Use a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter (or a glass) to cut out the doughnuts. Dip your index finger in some flour and punch a hole in the center of each doughnut, then turn it around your finger to make the hole about 11/2 inches in diameter. Once you put the doughnuts in the hot oil, the holes close up a bit.
Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pot or an electric fryer to 360 degrees. The oil should be deep enough so that the doughnuts float and do not touch the bottom of the pot. Add the doughnuts, 2 to 3 at a time, turning them around in the hot oil until brown. ("Usually; the dough cracks a bit and that's how I know they're done.")
Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, and serve warm.
CROQUIGNOLES So as not to waste the extra dough that is left, gather up the scraps and pat them into another disk about 1/2 inch thick. Then, using a knife, cut it in half, then in half again, and make 2 slashes in the center of each piece. You should have about 4 pieces. Fry these in the hot oil and now you have croquignoles, those wonderful doughnut-like cakes that the old people made years ago. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before serving.
CHOCOLATE-GLAZED DOUGHNUTS If you wish to glaze the doughnuts, mix together 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, stirring well to get rid of any lumps. Transfer to a small saucepan, add 1 cup milk, and cook, stirring, until the mixture is thick and smooth. Slip a fork or thin knife through the holes in the doughnuts, dip them in the chocolate glaze to coat, and transfer to a plate. Once they have cooled completely; they can be stored in an airtight container
