Cornmeal Churros Food

CORN MUFFIN CHURROS

Steps:

• Heat 3 inches of oil in a large, deep skillet until a deep-fry thermometer registers 340 degrees. Combine the muffin mix, flour, sugar, baking powder and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl. Stir in the eggs, orange zest and buttermilk and whisk until combined.
• Transfer half the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip (No. 844) and pipe 4-inch-long churros into the oil, about 4 at a time. (If you don't have a pastry bag, you can spoon the batter into the oil in lines.) Fry until golden, about 15 seconds per side, turning once. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining batter.
• Combine the remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon with sugar to taste and sprinkle over the churros. Serve warm with the chocolate sauce.

CHURROS

Steps:

• To make the churro dough: Combine 1 cup of water with the butter or margarine and the salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour. Reduce the heat to low and stir vigorously until the mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute. Remove the dough from the heat and, while stirring constantly, gradually beat the eggs into the dough.
• To make the chocolate for dunking: In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in 1 cup of milk and reserve. Combine the chocolate with the remaining cup of milk in a saucepan. Stirring constantly, melt the chocolate over medium-low heat. Whisk the sugar and the dissolved cornstarch into the melted chocolate mixture. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking constantly, until the chocolate is thickened, about 5 minutes. (Add extra cornstarch if it doesn't start to thicken after 5 minutes.) Remove the pan from the heat and whisk until smooth then reserve in a warm place.
• Heat about 2 inches of oil in a heavy, high-sided pot over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 360 degrees F. Mix the sugar with the cinnamon on a plate and reserve.
• Meanwhile, spoon the churro dough into a pastry bag fitted with a large tip. Squeeze a 4- inch strip of dough into the hot oil. Repeat, frying 3 or 4 strips at a time. Fry the churros, turning them once, until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the cooked churros to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
• When the churros are just cool enough to handle, roll them in the cinnamon-sugar (in Spain churros are simply rolled in sugar.)
• Pour the chocolate into individual bowls or cups. Serve the warm churros with the chocolate dip.

CHURROS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine water, 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, salt and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in flour until mixture forms a ball.
• Heat oil for frying in a deep fryer or deep pot to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Pipe 5- to 6-inch strips of dough into the hot oil using a sturdy pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip. Do not overcrowd the oil. Fry until golden; drain on paper towels.
• Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. Roll drained churros in cinnamon and sugar mixture.

CORNMEAL CHURROS

Steps:

• In a small pot, combine the butter, water, and brown sugar. Melt over medium/high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Just before the mixture begins to boil, turn the heat down to low and add in the vanilla extract, salt, flour, and cornmeal. Stir until a thick paste begins to form. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between. Then stir in the cream. If your mixture feels too thick (won't be easy to pipe out of a bag), you can add another tablespoon of cream. I only needed one, but you can add more if needed. Place the dough in a piping bag fitted with a star tip. I used a Wilton tip #1M.
• Heat 2-3 inches of oil in a large pot to 350°F. Pipe the churros into the hot oil, using kitchen shears to cut the batter off when you're done piping. Cook on each side for 30-45 seconds. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to remove excess oil.
• For the cinnamon sugar mixture, I'll go ahead and level with you here, I didn't measure how much I used. (Gasp!) I just filled a loaf pan with a 1/2" or so of sugar, sprinkled in a generous amount of cinnamon, and gave it good stir. Then I dipped my still-warm churros in the mixture to coat them.
• I'm sorry for not having exact measurements here, but honestly you really don't need them. This is just to coat the churros. So if you don't make enough, you can always add more to pan if needed. If you make too much, save it and use it in something that you don't mind a little cinnamon sugar on (maybe coffee?).

HOMEMADE CHURROS

Steps:

• For the churros: In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the butter, sugar and salt to the water and stir until the butter is melted, the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is returned to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour and cinnamon in a medium bowl until combined.
• Turn off the heat. Using a heatsafe rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture until it's evenly saturated and coming together in a smooth ball. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and let rest for 5 minutes.
• Use the spatula to break up the dough into small pieces in the bowl and add the eggs and vanilla. Using a hand mixer on medium speed, work your way around the bowl incorporating the chunks of dough, egg and vanilla. The mixture will be lumpy at first. After 5 minutes of mixing, it should be evenly hydrated and smooth.
• Transfer the mixture to a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip. Note: A quart container or large cup is very useful to have standing by, since you will be picking up and putting down your pastry bag quite a bit.
• For the coating: In a baking dish or large bowl, add the sugar, cinnamon and salt. This will be used to coat the churros, so make sure the vessel is large enough that a churro can lay flat in the sugar mixture.
• To a large heavy-bottomed pot, add 1 1/2 to 2 inches of vegetable oil. Set over medium-high heat until a deep-frying thermometer registers 350 degrees F.
• Reduce the heat to medium and using your pastry bag, pipe four 5-inch-long churros directly into the oil. Use kitchen shears or a paring knife to cut off the dough from the piping bag so that it will fall into the hot oil. (The churros should not feel crowded; the number you can cook at a time will vary depending on your pot size.) Cook until the outsides are dark golden brown and the insides are cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes on each side. The churros should be a dark golden color before you flip them. Periodically check your thermometer and increase or decrease the heat as needed to keep your oil at 350 degrees F.
• When the churros are dark golden on both sides, lift them out with tongs and place on a rack to cool slightly and drain excess oil. While they are still warm, toss them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture so they have a nice even coating. Repeat with the remaining dough. Serve warm or at room temperature.