Churros With Hot Chocolate Dipping Sauce

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When I lived in Miami, I was lucky to have access to churros whenever I wanted them.  Now that I'm living in another state where the Spanish population is not as dominant,  it's a different story.  Here I have a lovely fireplace, tons of cold weather and no churros.  I guess  "You Can't Always Get What You Want....!"

Churros are not really that hard to make, just messy and, of course, there's all that frying.  It's okay to eat fried food if you are not doing the frying.  You just don't think about it, at least, I don't. It's another story to eat fried food when you are doing the frying and watching all the fat grams dancing in front of your eyes.  But don't let that deter you or you will be missing one of the greatest snacks ever invented!

 Finally tonight I bit the bullet and had my chocolate with churros from the most authentic source I could find... The Chocolateria San Ginez right in the heart of Madrid.

The Chocolatería San Ginés is a café in central Madrid popular with tourists and madrileños alike. It has served principally chocolate con churros (hot chocolate and churros) since 1894. Coffee and cakes are also available. The interior is decorated with mirrors and green wood panels, green velvet seats and marble tables. The hot chocolate is served in Spanish style - thick, dark and strong - and the churros - deep fried batter, similar to a light, crispy, linear doughnut, cut to length by the waitresses - are served hot and freshly cooked, ready for dunking.

Now, I have discovered something I really like...something that is new, at least to me.  I have always had churros either alone or with a nice cup of hot chocolate.  In this recipe, the chocolate is really a dipping sauce, something which makes it less filling, if only in our imagination. I have had it this way for dessert at a great restaurant in Miami called Sra. Martinez.  I was sold on the first bite!  Hope you enjoy them in these cold nights and perhaps make some for Santa on Christmas Eve.  I know he'll enjoy it!

Ingredients

Churros:

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 eggs, beaten

Vegetable oil, for frying

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional

Chocolate for dunking:

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 cups milk

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup sugar

Directions

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.