In his cookbook, Nopalito, Gonzalo Guzmán writes of the Mexican flavors and ingredients from his childhood which have made their way into his popular San Francisco restaurant.
Because everyone who comes to a Mexican restaurant expects there to be churros, we had to have them on the menu. This easy recipe is adapted from the one from my favorite street vendors back home and yields thin, puffy, lightly crispy churros. If you don’t have a churrera or a piping bag, you can cut a corner off the end of a plastic freezer bag and use that to pipe your churros, but they won’t have the great ridges for catching the cinnamon sugar, and you may have to adjust your cooking time to account for the difference in size. Churros are best when served fresh, but if necessary you can hold them in a warm oven until serving time. They are great for dipping in Chocolate con Chiles.
Directions
- In a medium pot, combine 1 cup water, the butter, 1 tablespoon sugar, the salt, and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon; cook over medium heat until the butter is melted, then turn off the heat. Add the flour all at once and mix, using a wooden spoon, until just incorporated. Let cool for about 15 minutes (check that it’s cool enough to the touch that it won’t cook the eggs), then stir in the eggs.
- Transfer the dough to a churrera or to a piping bag fitted with a wide, round, or open-starred tip. In a medium bowl, combine the remaining 1 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
- Set a paper towel–lined plate next to the stove. In a deep fryer, large pot, or high-sided skillet, heat the oil to 375°F.
- Pipe 6-inch churros into the oil, frying a few at a time without overcrowding the pan. Let fry, turning occasionally to cook evenly, until deep golden brown, 3 to 7 minutes total, depending on the thickness of the churro. Remove the churros and transfer briefly to the prepared plate. Quickly transfer the hot churros from the plate to the bowl of cinnamon-sugar mixture; toss to coat the churros. Serve hot.
Reprinted with permission from Nopalito copyright 2017 by Gonzalo Guzman with Stacy Adimando. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
