CHURROS AND A HOT CHOCOLATE DIP

A 10 mm star nozzle was what I thought I had for these churros. I was wrong. But I had to have it. So I dug, I dig and I dug. 


Finally I settled for the disc-cum-spout star nozzle from a cookie press and used a piping bag to sheath the nozzle with. Very awkwardly I might add. I won't even begin to describe how the contraption looked or worked. But for few odd moments it did. 

The reason I did not use the whole cookie press thing was because it jammed up and it would not press.


However, to cut a long story short the churros turned out looking just the way I wanted them to look. 

Long and slender, 
long and slender, 
Each little churros 
A lady's finger.

And delicious? ~ Utterly ~ Utterly ~ Utterly ~

Then I made a bitter hot chocolate
As a dip or a drink
And the sweet little churros 
I dipped within. 

Were they delicious? ~ utterly ~ utterly ~ utterly~

The recipe..............adapted form Vogue Entertaining and Travel with some necessary  tweaks.......

The dough for these churros are very like the dough for cream puffs or eclairs. The only difference being they are fried not baked and are sweeter. They are also denser inside and not hollow like a cream puff would be. 

And did I say they were delicious? ~  utterly ~

1 cup (4 oz) plain flour
1 cup (4 oz) self raising flour
11/2 cup sugar Or less Or much less

2 cups water
a knob of butter
1 whole egg + 2 egg yolks

cinnamon
lots of cooking oil


Mix 1/2 cup of the sugar with a pinch of cinnamon in a plate and keep aside for later.


Sift both flours together and put aside.


Put the water and 1 cup of the sugar and the knob of butter in a large heavy based pan and bring to a gentle simmer stirring until the sugar dissolves.


Once the sugar has dissolved and the small bubbles appear in the syrup pour both flours in. Stir immediately and vigorously until it becomes a smooth and quite stiff paste and the dough leaves the sides of the pan. Almost. 

If it appears not too smooth, don't worry. Just throw it into the mixer bowl and turn on the machine with the paddle attachment and let it do the work for you for about 15 to 20 seconds.



(Transfer the dough to a bowl of an electric mixer and using the paddle attachment turn on the mixer.) While the mixer is working throw in an egg yolk and beat until the egg yolk is well beaten in. 

Put in the whole egg next and continue to beat. If you find the mixture a little too stiff still add in the other yolk as well and beat well. By this time the mixture should be firm and not too soft but not too stiff either otherwise it will be difficult to squeeze out the dough through the nozzle.

Prepare a piping bag with a 10mm star nozzle if you wish of a plain nozzle if you prefer. Fill it up with half the mixture.


Heat up a medium pan with oil enough to deep fry the churros. Heat up the oil until a piece of bread browns in 10 seconds.


Have a small knife ready near the stove. Pipe the paste directly into the oil as long or as short as you like them to be. Mine were about 10 cm in length and using the knife cut the pastry off from the nozzle. 

Do a few at a time depending on how large or small your pan is. Fry them for about 2 minutes turning so they get evenly brown all over. Finish off the rest of the dough. Drain on kitchen paper and toss teh fried churros in the cinnamon sugar.


Serve with a chocolate dip or a hot chocolate drink. Utterly delicious. 

The hot chocolate drink...........from Chocolate Cooking by David Schwartz...

6 oz plain chocolate, broken into pieces
6 fluid oz hot water
1/4 pint (450 ml) milk


Thicker than hot chocolate, this beverage in Spain is served with churros for breakfast.


In a saucepan, melt the chocolate with the hot water, whisking until teh mixture thickens. Heat the milk in another pan. Divide the melted cocolate between 4 hot mugs and, without stirring, fill each with hot milk. Serve immediately.