Baking & the Big Screen: Beignets & The Princess And The Frog
It was incredibly exciting to have an opportunity for a baking/movie pairing to fall into my lap, and that’s exactly what happened. A coworker innocently asked, “Have you ever made beignets?” Suddenly, it all fell into place before my eyes. Beignets mean New Orleans which means The Princess and the Frog, a movie that I’ve technically seen, but it was back in 2010, and I remembered none of it, and shockingly, didn’t remember liking, which is very unusual for me when it comes to Disney flicks. So is this really a new baking/movie combo? Technically….no. You don’t bake beignets and I’ve already seen the movie, but hey, it’s been almost two years since I started doing this so there are going to be some reaches here and there.
The Princess and the Frog
Starring Anika Noni Rose, Keith David, Oprah Winfrey, Bruno Campos, Michael-Leon Wooley, Jennifer Cody, Jim Cummings, Terrence Howard, Jennifer Lewis, John Goodman
Director: Ron Clements
Released in 2009
Available on Disney+
I went into this movie desperately wanting to love it. I truly did. I knew the music was stellar and it was one of a lot of people’s favorite recent animated films (#JusticeForTangled). It was also unique since the princess’ defining characteristics were being hardworking and determined. And if I isolate the character of Tiana, I see that. Completely and utterly. She’s a delightful, beautiful character that is more well rounded than a lot of the earliest movies about cartoon royalties. And thankfully, people hadn’t lied to me about how incredible the music was. I was having a blast listening to it, and I really appreciated the unique quality of the overall story, despite being a twist on one of the most commonly known fairy tales. Anika Noni Rose absolutely killed it as the voice beyond Tiana, but it was with the prince and the love story I had some issues with.
We all know love stories move fast in a Disney movie. Hell, it was part of the plot of Frozen how ridiculously little these relationships are built on. But honestly, there was nothing that endeared me to the prince. It ended up with me begging Tiana out loud not to pick this guy. His charm was smarmy rather than Flynn Rider swoon-worthy. He seemed to fall for Tiana completely out of nowhere and didn’t change in any visible way that impressed me. Not being able to root for the main love story, but instead almost tearing up about a firefly being in love with a star in a side plot, made me struggle a bit on how I felt about it all. Thankfully, I was able to zoom out a bit and recognize the beautiful music, friendships and, frankly, feminist lead all worked together to make me not mind as much that I wish Tiana had just stayed solo.
What I don’t have complicated feelings around are the beignets I made. This was my first time making something like this, and it was shocking to me how easy it was. The recipe I linked in the first paragraph seemed so simple that I was sure I somehow screwed it up. Instead, they were flawless. The dough came together exactly how I needed it to and I gave it an extra thirty minutes for the dough to rise, and it was clearly the right call. They fried up perfectly, weren’t too oily, and paired excellently with the mountains of powdered sugar we dumped on them and a side of chocolate syrup. This will definitely be a sweet treat I’d keep in mind if I’m ever serving up brunch or having a Mardi Gras party. And thankfully, this recipe made more than any one person would ever need, so I don’t have to worry that there won’t be enough to share.