Churros from New Mexico

I have made these only once before, when we were in Georgia. I don't even remember where I found the recipe, but it must have been from some cookbook I was actively checking out of the public libraries for years when there was time (relatively, now my lifestyle has changed).

Hubby is taking Spanish class this semester, and yesterday, they had a cultural event where everyone had to bring a dish of spanish origin. He had asked if I could make Flan. I had planned to make the flan the day before yesterday, but then realized that I didn't have any cans of sweetened condensed milk, so I made it yesterday.

Of course, being me, I simply had to torture myself and try and make somrthing else too. Actually, as I was browsing through my recipe box, looking for the caramel flan recipe, I came across this Churros recipe. That's how it all came about, as simple as the thought,

Hey, why don't I make Churros too? It's Spanish based too.

However, I still made the caramel flan as my back up, in case my Churros turns out to be horrors. I made two flans (one for us and one for the event), and I whipped up one recipe of Churros. Of course, again, being me, I googled Churros, out of increased curiosity. Hubby didn't even care enough to learn what it was that I made for him to bring yesterday (referring to the Churros), just like I don't care enough about anything to do with economics or finances. But I have passion for food (not necessarily for eating). Don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

The dough for this Churros is very similar to making Choux Paste for eclairs or cream puffs. It's really easy and amazing to work with. You can't go wrong with it. While I was googling, I came across a teenager making Churros on Youtube. The only thing I worried about was butchering the shape of the Churros, though it can come in other shapes too. I vaguely remember having trouble stopping it from piping through when it was time to drop it in the hot oil. So I had Newr help me cut them with a kitchen knife. After a while, all the kids deserted me, so I was on my own.

Alhamdulillah for this Youtube video of a Chef making Churros though. He simply used his hand to stop the flow of the Churros dough.

I decided to do the same, because my Dessert Decorator doesn't really work all that perfectly such that I have to push the top part of it instead of just using the handle to push the dough through. As a result, both my hands were occupied.

At any rate, my Churros did turn out good enough to merit posting on this blog, alhamdulillah!

Churros

1 C water
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs sugar
1/2 C butter
1 C flour
4 eggs
oil
cinnamon
sugar


1. Heat water, salt, sugar, and butter on the stove top till butter melts
2. Bring to full boil. Then add flour all at once and beat (manually) till it becomes a thick and smooth battery dough. (Because the saucepan I used was too small, I transferred the hot liquid mixture to my KitchenAid mixer bowl and then poured the flour in that)
3. Continue beating 2 more minutes.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating vigorously after each addition. I used the mixer, but you can do it manually too. Makes good bicep and triceps development.
5. The dough/batter should not be too runny like cake batter nor too tough like bread dough. It should be somewhere in between. Spoon the battery dough into a Dessert Decorator or a large pastry bag fitted with a large star tip (or you can use a normal round tip too, but your Churros will not have those beautiful ridges that make them characteristic of Churros)
6. Heat oil for deep frying, about 390 F. I simply estimated the temperature by placing my palm a few inches above it. if it feels quite hot, and the oil looks really viscous, it is ready.
7. Squeeze bag over the hot oil, letting out about 5 - 7 inches of ropes, or longer if you wish. Don't worry if the 'rope' curls like a candy cane or a horseshoe or even a spiral.Cut the piped rope either by pinching it off or cutting it with a pair of scissors. Don't worry, the hot oil does not spit.

Meanwhile prepare a dinner plate or a flat container with a mixture of sugar and ground cinnamon to roll the hot Churros in (measurements is up to you)
8. Fry till golden brown and roll them over so the Churros are lightly browned on both sides.


9. Drain the fried Churros on paper towels so the excess oil is absorbed. Then immediately roll these Churros in the sugar-cinnamon mixture until well coated.


They do look like a Malaysian snack called Cakoi. It has been a while since I ate any Cakoi. In fact I had trouble recalling the name, much to hubby's good humored disgust. I asked him yesterday if the Churros tasted anything like Cakoi, and he said that the Cakoi are more 'bready'. I had guessed as much. These Churros are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, somewhat like cream puffs.

So there you go...finally, something from New Mexico.