Dirty Little Secrets...

FOOD FIND

Brazilian Churros might be the most delicious things I have ever tasted. Just thinking of this warm, sweet, crunchy, gooey dessert has me drooling already. Yes, churros are originally from Spain, but countries all over the globe have come up with their own version, and believe me, you have not tasted a churro unless you have tasted a fresh one in Brazil. Churro vendors are all over the streets of Brazil with their carts, and often make churros fresh to order, lighting up the gas cooker right in front of you. The raw dough is piped through a syringe with a star shaped nozzle, turning it into a hollow, sort of stick doughnut. It is then deep fried until crispy golden brown, and rolled in cinnamon and sugar. The fried dough has a rigid texture, allowing the sugary coating to really get into the grooves and stick there until the very last bite. If that weren’t enough to entice you, the hot churro is then held upright and stuffed with, most commonly, a thick helping of dulce de leche, or sometimes chocolate. They are served in a paper wrapping and intended to be eaten immediately, while still warm. The good thing is that these chewy sticks of heaven usually cost just R$1.50, so you can enjoy as many as you want. The bad thing… these chewy sticks of heaven cost just R$1.50, so you can enjoy as many as you want! While in Brazil, I devoured so many of these, one would think that just hearing “churro” would make me sick but, quite the contrary. I crave them all of the time! Fresh off the street cart is by far the best way to experience the churro, but if you want to get an idea of what I’m talking about, try out the recipe below!

Ingredients:

1 cup water

2 Tbs brown sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 cup butter

1 cup white flour

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 to 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, depending on taste

Directions:

Preheat 1 1/2 to 2 inches of vegetable oil in a 10 to 12 inch frying pan to 375 degrees F. In a separate dish mix the 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

In a 3 qt. sauce pan add the water, brown sugar, salt, and butter and heat to a good boil. Remove from the heat and add the flour. Stirring in the flour will take some muscle. Mix it in until well blended. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and vanilla together and then add this mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until well blended and all the egg is completely mixed in.

Fill your decorating tool with the churro recipe dough and attach the largest star tip you have.

Test your oil by placing a small amount of dough in it. The dough should bubble up right away or that means the oil is not hot enough and a soggy churro is on the way. Once the oil is hot enough, squeeze some dough (with decorator) into the oil about 4 inches long. I used my finger to release the dough from the decorator. Careful not to burn yourself.

You should be able to cook 4 or 5 churros at a time. Cook them about 1 minute and turn them over with a slotted spoon. Cook an additional minute or two. You're looking for that nice golden brown color. Remove the churros with the slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel-covered plate to absorb excess grease. While still warm, roll each churro into the dish with the sugar and cinnamon until coated.

To stuff the Churros hold one end upwright while they are still hot and with a second pastry bag or a large marinade syringe with a long narrow nozzle, inject the filler making sure the filler has a consistency that is easy to flow but still holds the shape of a drop for several seconds. Warm fillers tend to do better at that!

*Photo from farm4.static.flickr.com

*Recipe from domelt.blogspot.com