Oreillettes
Desserts are a key part of the Christmas Eve dinner in Southern France. In the Ardèche you will find very specific desserts that are common to the region; this includes oreillettes. We add Orange Flower Water to the dough to give the dessert a more floral taste. The recipe itself is very basic, but you can make it your own by adding any flavors you enjoy.
We grew up with the recipe below which follows the a very traditional recipe, but fried dough and sugar never seems to disappoint a Christmas Eve crowd!
Ingredients - 20 Oreillettes
250 grams of flour
2 eggs
10 grams of sugar (extra for topping the oreillettes)
Pinch of salt
15 grams of softened butter
Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon of Orange Flower Water (more for preferred taste)
Recipe - 1 hour
Using 250 grams of flour, make a well in the middle of the flour.
Add to the well 10 grams of sugar and a pinch of salt.
Break two eggs in the middle of the well, and then hand mix. Slowly add flour from the outside of the well to the center.
Add the Orange Flower Water
Add 15 grams of soft butter to the mixture.
Again, mix everything with your hands until it turns into a dough.
Create a ball with the dough, and let it sit in the fridge (covered) for two hours.
After two hours, roll out the dough as thin as possible.
Fill and heat a relatively deep skillet with vegetable oil. You will be frying the dough, so make sure there is enough oil to submerge the pieces.
Cut dough into strips that will fit into your skillet.
Once the oil is hot, add your pieces of dough. They will fall to the bottom of the pan. The dough will then rise to the surface. Flip the pieces over so that both sides are golden brown.
Take fried pieces of dough out, and add to a plate with a paper towel. This will absorb excess oil.
Once cool, place all the oreillettes in one place. Top with sugar and enjoy!
Written by Margaux Henderson
Photos by Ava Henderson
