Crawfish at Cooking Class

My stash of Mardi Gras beads and masks came in handy twice this week.  We had a "Fat Tuesday" bash at youth group on Sunday night, complete with a batch of Jambalaya from Emeril's cooking show. And today, the homeschool cooking classes wore the necklaces while frying several batches of beignets.  I also boiled up a pot of crawdads so each student could try one.  First you pull off the head and suck the spicy juice out of the brains.  Then pinch the tail and pull out the meat.  There were squeamish girls and bold boys, so that added to the fun.  All the pincher/claws went home as souvenirs.
French Quarter Beignets
3/4 c. lukewarm water
1/3 c. sugar
1 envelope active dry yeast
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. evaporated milk
2 T. shortening
3 1/2 c. sifted flour
1. Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 4-5 minutes.
2. Add egg, salt, and evaporated milk to the yeast mixture. Stir.
3. Beat in only 1 1/2 cups of the flour and the shortening until smooth.
4. Stir in the remaining flour until a soft dough ball forms.
5. Knead on a lightly floured surface for several minutes.
6. Put dough into greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours.
7. Preheat 2-inches of oil in a deep-fryer or electric skillet to 350’ F.
8. Roll dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 1-inch squares or triangles. Deep-fry the beignets by flipping with a slotted spoon until they become a golden color. Drain for a few seconds on paper towels. Toss them in paper bag of confectioners' sugar. Makes 18 doughnuts. (from Paula Deen’s Cookbook)