The BB at the WD

The BB at the WD (The Best Breakfast at The Wine Dive)
by Sandra Simmons
The Wine Dive recommends Simply Naked Sauvignon Blanc to be paired with this dish.

Eggs & 
Bacon
A Sweet & Savory Beignet and
Mixed Fruit with Leftover White Wine Syrup

1) Eggs:
Diners choice with sliced green onions on top.

2) Bacon:
Crispy.

3) Sweet & Savory Beignets: 
One with powdered sugar and one with cheddar - recipes included* or a recipe of your choice.

4) Mixed Fruit with Leftover Wine Syrup:
Fruit on hand tossed with Leftover Wine Syrup.**

Beignets*
adapted from The All-New Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook

equipment needed:
cooking thermometer, I used my candy thermometer
rolling pin
a heavy pot or Dutch oven

1 packet yeast
3 tablespoons water (between 100-110 degrees)
3/4 cup milk
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup Crisco
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups flour + 1 cup flour for kneading, etc.
1 cup cheddar, shredded
peanut oil or vegetable oil
powdered sugar

Pour the yeast packet into a large bowl. You can use tap water but measure it and make sure you get it in the right temperature range. Add the water to the yeast and stir. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the milk in a saucepan and heat it over medium-low to low heat until it is steaming but not boiling. Add the sugar, Crisco, and salt. Turn off the heat and stir until the Crisco is dissolved. Then let the mixture cool until it's between 100-110 degrees.

Add the egg, saucepan contents, and two cups flour to the yeast and stir it until it's combined. Take some of the additional cup of flour and put it on your counter or Silpat and spread it around. Put the dough on the floured surface and split the dough in half. Add the shredded cheese to one half of the dough. Knead both doughs, each half with one hand, with all or most of the additional flour for about eight minutes (I set my timer.)

Get two clean bowls and put a little vegetable oil each. Place each half of the dough in each bowl and then turn it over until the dough is oiled on all sides. Cover each bowl with a towel and place it in a draft-free, warm area, around 85 degrees, for one hour. In the summer, this is not a problem. The rest of the year, I preheat my oven to 200 and then I turn the oven off and leave the oven door open slightly while I make the dough. When it's time for me to put my dough aside to rise, the oven if the perfect temperature.

After the dough rises for an hour, punch it down and place on a floured surface. With your rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangular shape. Now, it doesn't have to be perfect. Beignets that aren't a perfect shape, taste just as great! Cut the dough into squares of about 2 inches, or close to it. Keep the plain and cheddar doughs separate. Leave the squares on your floured surface and cover them with a towel in a draft-free place for about 30 minutes, maybe a little more, until they have doubled in size.

Pour two to three inches of peanut or vegetable oil in your Dutch oven and heat the oil to about 370 degrees. Gently and quickly put four pieces of dough in the oil with a spatula. Don't drop the dough in! You could cause a splatter! Cook the dough on each side until golden brown, between 30 seconds and 1 minute. Take the beignets out of the hot oil when done and place them on paper towels to drain and then sift powdered sugar over the plain ones. The cheddar ones are serves plain. Serve each dish with one cheddar beignet and one plain with powdered sugar.

Leftover Wine Syrup** 
adapted from Real Simple

1 Marx Foods Tahitian Vanilla Bean
1 bottle white wine (or 3½ cups leftover assorted white wines)
3/4 cup organic sugar*

*According to the Pike Place Market Cookbook , organic sugar has less water content than regular and so it melts and caramelizes more quickly. My friend Woo says that you can get a big bag of it at Costco for a great price. So I did.

Cut the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds and put them in a large saucepan. Add your leftover wine and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce the head and simmer for about 50-55 minutes. Refrigerate for about an hour or until the syrup cools. Toss with cut fruit and serve.