Churros
I got the idea for serving churros like koeksisters from Barbara Joubert’s book Kostalgie. What a winner! – Johané
The pastry is prepared in much the same way as choux puffs – but the cooking method is foolproof! Makes 12 servings Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes • 250ml boiling water • 80g butter • 50g (60ml) cinnamon sugar • pinch of salt • 140g (250ml) flour • 3 eggs • oil for deep-frying • castor sugar, to garnish
1 Mix the water, butter, sugar and salt in a pot over moderate heat until melted, then bring to the boil.
2 Remove from the heat immediately and stir in the flour all at once until it forms a ball of dough that pulls away from the side of the pot.
Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until the mixture is shiny and smooth. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a star nozzle. Allow to rest in the fridge until cooled – the dough will retain its shape better when fried.
Heat the oil in a pot. Pipe the dough gently into the hot oil, snipping each piece off with a pair of sharp scissors. Fry until golden-brown, turn once, brown the other side and fry until cooked. Drain on paper towels. 5 Serve in two different ways: Option 1 Roll each churro in castor sugar and serve with chocolate sauce: melt 200g dark chocolate, 250ml cream and a tot of dark rum until smooth and thick. Option 2 Serve them like koeksisters by immersing the hot churros in ice-cold syrup. How to make the syrup: stir 250ml boiling water, 375ml sugar, 15ml lemon juice, 5ml rose water, 2 cinnamon sticks and 3 cardamom pods over moderate heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Cool completely and refrigerate until well chilled. Immerse the hot churros in the syrup to absorb it. Store in the fridge and eat the same day.