
Crab Beignets with Fiery Apple Chutney
Beignet is the French term for a pastry made from deep fried choux pastry - a bit like a 'fritter'... but a bit fancier! Madalene from The British Larder created these beignets, and we think they make a wonderful after 5 finger food. The beauty about choux pastry is that you can make the dough up to 3 days in advance, keep it in the fridge until needed, then fold in the flavouring and hey presto! It's ready to cook and serve.
Recipe Tester Feedback: "Very gourmet! These Crab Beignets would suit a high end cocktail party." - Dawn
No: Nuts
Contains: Gluten / Dairy / Egg
*Variation: Can be made without Gluten
Preparation Time 15 minutes
Cooking Time 40 minutes
Serves 8 as a starter or many as a fingerfood. Makes 2 medium jars of chutney.
Cannot be frozen
Ingredients
- Fiery apple chutney:
- onion - 80g
- ginger - 30g (peeled weight), fresh, peeled
- garlic clove - 1
- lemongrass - 1 stem, white part only, finely chopped
- caster sugar - 200g
- white wine vinegar - 200g
- mustard seeds - 1 tsp, black
- mustard seeds - 1 tsp, yellow
- bay leaf - 1
- cinnamon - 1 stick
- chilli oil - 1 Tbsp, hot
- apples - 300g (prepared weight), of choice, peeled, cored and diced
- orange - 1, juice and finely grated zest
- lemon - 1, juice and finely grated zest
- sea salt - to taste
- pepper - freshly cracked, black, to taste
- Crab beignets:
- butter - 80g, unsalted
- water - 150g
- sea salt - pinch
- plain flour - 120g
- eggs - 3, lightly beaten
- crab meat - 300g
- spring onions - 50g, finely sliced
- fresh parsley - 1 Tbsp, finely chopped
- fresh chervil - 1 Tbsp, finely chopped
- fresh chives - 1 Tbsp, finely chopped
- sunflower oil - for deep-frying
Method
Fiery apple chutney:
Please note that we have successfully trialled this recipe with both a stovetop and a thermo mixer to make the chutney. The original recipe calls for a stovetop, which will allow you to multitask and reduce the liquid faster.
- Add the onion (80g), ginger (30g), garlic (1) and lemongrass (1) to the bowl. Blend Speed 8 / 30 seconds to form a fine purée. You may need to scrape down sides and repeat a few times if you hear that the blades are not making contact with the food.
- Transfer the purée to a saucepan and add the sugar (200g), white wine vinegar (200g), mustard seeds (1 tsp each), bay leaf (1), cinnamon stick (1), chilli oil (1 Tbsp) and salt and pepper (to taste) OR leave in your thermo mixer bowl.
- Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, then allow to simmer for about 10 minutes or until slightly thickened OR program 15 minutes / 100C / Reverse+Stirring Speed, measuring cap off.
- Add the apples (300g), orange (1) and lemon (1) and bring back to a simmer, then simmer over a low heat for 20–25 minutes or until the mixture is thickened and the apples are softened OR program 45 minutes / 100C / Reverse+Stirring Speed, measuring cap off.
- Remove from the heat, transfer the chutney to a clean container or jar, cover and leave to cool. Once cool, keep refrigerated until needed. The chutney will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week. Remove and discard the bay leaf and cinnamon stick before serving.
Crab beignets:
- Add butter (80g), water (150g) and pinch of salt to the clean dry bowl. Program 5 minutes / 100C / Speed 1.
- Add the flour (120g) and program 1 minute / Speed 8.
- Remove the lid and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
- Secure the lid and set the machine to Speed 3 while gradually adding the eggs (3) through the lid. Blend until all the eggs are incorporated.
- Program 1 minute / Speed 10, gradually increasing the speed to reach Speed 10.
- Transfer to a clean airtight container and keep chilled until needed.
- Gently stir the crabmeat (300g), spring onions (50g), finely chopped parsley (1 Tbsp), chervil (1 Tbsp) and chives (1 Tbsp).
- Heat some sunflower oil in an electric deep-fat fryer or in a deep frying pan to a temperature of 160C (or until a small piece of bread browns within 20 seconds in the hot oil).
- Once the oil is hot enough, place tablespoonfuls of the choux pastry into the hot oil and deep-fry for 5–6 minutes or until cooked, crisp and golden brown – you will need to deep-fry the beignets in multiple batches. Using a slotted spoon, remove and drain the cooked beignets on paper towel, then keep them warm while you cook the remainder.
- If serving as a finger food, pile on a platter and serve with the chutney in a little bowl. The chutney is quite strong so just getting a dip into the bowl, or spooning a little on to the beignet will be enough to complement. If serving as an entree, serve as per the picture above.
*we have also tested a GF version using the GF Choux Pastry in The Desserts Issue. Make the chutney, make the GF Choux Pastry dough and start the Crab Beignets method at Step 7