Spicy Churro Ice Cream Food

CHURRO TACOS WITH MEXICAN CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the salt, 1/4 cup sugar and 2 1/4 cups water to the butter and remove from the heat. Stir in flour with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and a dough is formed. Transfer to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, then add the eggs one at a time, beating on medium speed, followed by the vanilla.
• Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a star tip and set aside. Cut parchment paper into 5-inch squares and place them on a sheet tray. Pipe a cookie-sized round of the churro batter onto each parchment square, then freeze for 1 hour.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven to 350 degrees F. Fit a rack inside a sheet tray.
• Combine the cinnamon with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. Carefully slide half the frozen churros off the parchment paper into the hot oil and cook until golden brown and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes, then transfer to the rack. Sprinkle each churro with the cinnamon-sugar mixture immediately after removing them from the fryer.
• Top each churro with a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of dulce de leche, if using.

SPICY MANGO NO-CHURN ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Pulse the mango in a food processor until you achieve pea-size chunks. Add the condensed milk, vanilla and salt. Pulse to combine, then remove to a medium bowl and fold in the jalapeno and lime zest; set aside.
• Whip the cream with a mixer on medium-high speed until firm peaks form, about 2 minutes. Fold about 1 cup of the whipped cream into the mango mixture with a rubber spatula until combined, then fold the lightened mixture into the whipped cream until well blended. Pour into a chilled 9-by-5-by-3-inch metal loaf pan, and freeze, covered, until until solid and scoopable, about 5 hours. Serve topped with a pinch of lime zest and chili powder.

CHURRO CAKE WITH SPICED CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 10-cup Bundt pan, making sure to get in all the crevices; dust with flour and tap out the excess. Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
• Beat the butter, granulated sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the egg yolks. Beat in the sour cream until combined. (The batter may look curdled.) Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk; beat until combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and tap the bottom of the pan against the counter a few times to release any large air bubbles. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 10 minutes in the pan; loosen the edge of the cake with a wooden skewer and invert onto the rack to cool completely.
• Make the cinnamon sugar topping: Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Working in sections, brush the cake with the melted butter. Hold the cake over the bowl and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar, pressing to adhere.
• Make the spiced chocolate sauce: Combine the half-and-half, brown sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, chile powder and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Let stand 2 minutes, then stir until smooth. Serve the cake with the spiced chocolate sauce.

CHURROS ICE CREAM SANDWICH

Steps:

• Boil the kettle, then measure 300ml boiling water into a jug and add the melted butter and vanilla extract. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl with a generous pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre, then pour in the contents of the jug and very quickly beat into the flour with a wooden spoon until lump-free.
• Cut out 6 10cm x 10cm squares of baking parchment and grease them well with oil. Transfer the churro batter to a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle, and pipe spiraled circles of batter onto the parchment. This is easiest if you start from the centre, and swirl the nozzle round and round until you reach the edge of the paper, avoiding any gaps. Chill for 45 mins, or up to 2 hrs, until the batter feels firm to the touch.
• Fill a large deep saucepan one-third full of oil. Heat until a cube of bread browns in 45 seconds - 1 min (about 180C). Cover a tray with kitchen paper and mix the caster sugar and cinnamon together.
• Remove the churros from the fridge and drop 2 or 3 directly into the pan, discarding the parchment. Fry until golden brown and crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on the kitchen paper-lined tray. Carry on cooking the rest of the dough in batches, sprinkling the cooked churros with some cinnamon sugar as you go. Once you've cooked all the churros, toss with any remaining cinnamon sugar and sandwich with balls of your favourite ice cream.