TableJourney

Where to eat Bottereaux nantais in Nantes

The carnival fritter of the Nantes country and Anjou: a rich, spirit-scented dough rolled thin, cut into lozenges, deep-fried for barely a minute and buried in icing sugar for Mardi Gras.

The story of Bottereaux nantais

Bottereaux are the pays nantais version of the fried carnival dough that most of France makes in some form before Lent, and they are still tied to Mardi Gras rather than sold year round. The dough is closer to a rich biscuit than a batter: eggs, sugar, butter and flour, loosened with a little cream or milk and perfumed with eau-de-vie or kirsch, then rested overnight so it rolls thin without springing back. Cut into lozenges and dropped into hot fat, they puff and blister in under a minute a side, and they are best within a few hours of frying.

How to make Bottereaux nantais

Serves: 8

Ingredients

  • 500g plain flour
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 100g butter
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 16g baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons crème fraîche
  • 2 tablespoons eau-de-vie or kirsch
  • A little milk, to loosen
  • Pinch of salt and a pinch of vanilla powder
  • 1 litre neutral oil or vegetable shortening, for frying
  • Icing sugar, to finish

Method

  1. Melt the butter with the sugar and the eau-de-vie, then let it cool until it is no more than warm. Beat in the egg yolks and the crème fraîche.
  2. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and vanilla in a bowl. Work the wet mixture in gradually until you have a soft, rich dough, adding a splash of milk only if it will not come together.
  3. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold them through. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours.
  4. Roll the cold dough out to 5mm on a well-floured surface and cut into lozenges or rectangles about 8cm long. Slit each one down the middle if you want the traditional twisted shape.
  5. Heat the oil to 170C and fry in small batches for 30 to 60 seconds a side, until puffed and deep gold. Drain on paper, and dust heavily with icing sugar while still hot.

Editor tip. The overnight rest is not optional: the dough is too elastic to roll thin straight after mixing. Keep the oil at 170C and fry in small batches.

The editor picks for Bottereaux nantais in Nantes are still in research. Meanwhile, see the Nantes signature-dishes index or the Nantes food guide.