Les Oreilles De Cochon (Pig’s Ear Pastry) with Bourbon Sweet Potato Syrup
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
This is a crispy, crunchy and classic French Acadian pastry.
Recipe by:
Serves: 8
Ingredients
Bourbon Sweet Potato Syrup
  • ½ cup mashed sweet potato (canned or fresh baked)
  • ½ cup sugarcane syrup, such as Steen’s
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)
Pig’s Ear Pastry
  • 3 cups all purpose flour, plus more
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup whole milk, plus more if needed
  • 1 gallon vegetable oil
  • 1 cup Bourbon Sweet Potato Syrup (see recipe)
  • ½ cup finely chopped Louisiana pecans
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup sugarcane syrup
Instructions
Bourbon Sweet Potato Syrup
  1. In the container of a blender, add all of the ingredients. Blend on high until smooth. Pour the mixture into a squeeze bottle with a wide tip.
Pig’s Ear Pastry
  1. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon. With a spoon or whisk blend and combine the dry ingredients. Add the milk and stir until it comes together as a dough. Turn it out on a cutting board sprinkled with additional flour. Knead the dough and add more milk if needed. Form into a ball and with a knife cut the ball in half. Cut each half into fourths and each fourth into eighths. With a rolling pin, roll each portion of dough into a thin circle of approximately 10 inches.
  2. In a pot on medium heat, add the oil to a depth of at least 6 inches and heat to 375ºF. Add one of the dough rounds to the hot oil. Working quickly, use a long metal fork or skewer to swirl and twist the dough around the pot until it begins to fold onto itself and resemble the shape of a pig’s ear. Cook until the dough is golden brown and crispy, about 30 seconds. Remove to a wire rack over a paper towel-lined tray. Repeat until all of the dough is cooked.
  3. For serving, place a pig’s ear pastry on a plate and top with the bourbon sweet potato syrup. Garnish with a sprinkling of chopped pecans and dusting of powdered sugar. Finish with a drizzle of sugarcane syrup.
Notes
Be sure to have enough depth of oil to completely submerge and fry the pastries. As always, the bourbon is optional.
Recipe by Acadiana Table at https://acadianatable.com/2023/10/16/talk-about-good/