Churros with Thick Hot Chocolate

La storia di questo piatto

In Spain, with Madrid as its beating heart, churros and chocolate became a ritual of early mornings and late nights. The pairing settled in the nineteenth century, while the fried dough itself carries older echoes of the Andalusi table.

Ingredienti

• 250 ml Water
• 3 g Fine salt
• 170 g Type 00 flour
• 1 l Sunflower seed oil for frying
• 40 g Granulated sugar for dusting
• 500 ml Whole milk
• 150 g 70% dark chocolate bar
• 20 g Cornstarch
• 20 g Brown sugar for the chocolate
• 1 pinch Salt for the chocolate

Preparazione

1. Start with the chocolate, because it needs time to settle. Break the 150 g of dark chocolate into small, roughly equal pieces with a large knife: this way it melts evenly and without rushing. In a small saucepan, dissolve the cornstarch in the 80 ml of cold milk, whisking with a fork until not a single lump remains. The milk must be cold: in warm milk the starch goes wild and clumps.
2. Warm the remaining 420 ml of milk with the brown sugar and a pinch of salt over medium-low heat. The right moment is when the milk just begins to steam and small bubbles appear at the edges: do not let it boil. Turn off the heat, add the chocolate and whisk until everything has melted and the liquid looks glossy and dark. Pour in the cornstarch mixture, return to very low heat and stir constantly, scraping the bottom well since that is where it sticks first.
3. Keep stirring over very low heat for 5-6 minutes, until the chocolate coats the back of the spoon and, when you draw a line through it with your finger, the line stays clean. As soon as it has thickened, remove it from the heat immediately: a moment longer and it sticks or turns into glue. Cover it with a lid and set it aside, keeping it warm: while it rests it settles and becomes even smoother. Taste it: it should be intense and not too sweet, since the sugar on the churros does the rest.
4. Now the dough. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring 250 ml of water with 3 g of salt to a boil. Remove from the heat and add all the flour at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon: within seconds a compact, smooth ball forms that pulls away from the sides. Return it to low heat for 30 seconds, turning it, to dry it slightly. Then let it cool until lukewarm: it should be warm, not hot, so you can work it without burning yourself.
5. Work the dough with the spoon for another minute, until it is soft and free of lumps. Fill the piping bag with a large star tip, about 1 cm: the star creates the grooves, which give more crispy surface and hold the sugar better. Press the dough toward the tip and expel any air bubbles, which would otherwise make the oil spatter. Spread a sheet of paper towel on a work surface; you will need it for the freshly fried churros.
6. Pour 1 liter of oil into a tall, narrow pot, so that it is at least 5 cm deep, and heat it to 180°C. If you don't have a thermometer, drop in a small piece of dough: it should rise immediately, sizzling vigorously without burning. Squeeze the piping bag and extrude strips 12-15 cm long directly into the oil, cutting them with scissors. Fry a few churros at a time, without crowding the pot, turning them once. They are ready when they are an even golden color, puffed and noisy: the sizzling subsides when the water inside has evaporated.
7. Drain the churros with a slotted spoon and place them on the paper towel for a few seconds, then immediately roll them in granulated sugar while still hot: this way the sugar adheres and melts slightly on the surface. Return the chocolate to the heat for a minute, stirring, and pour it into small cups. Taste and adjust: if it seems heavy or too sweet, a grain of salt brightens it; if it is too thick, thin it with a splash of warm milk. Serve everything together and immediately: the crispy churro dipped in hot chocolate, three seconds of pure bliss.