These days, plenty of restaurants and nightspots have celebrity owners or investors, but their input generally ends with the writing of a giant check and a little creative conceptualizing. Not so for Eva Longoria. The Desperate Housewives actress can not only hold her own in the kitchen, she actually contributed a few recipes to the menu at her CityCenter restaurant, Beso. Just don’t expect diet-friendly from the star; these churros are full of fat and flavor. Just how we like ’em.
Churros (serves 10)
1/3 cup lard (pork fat)
1 cup water
1 pinch salt
1 cup flour
3 eggs
3 cups sugar
2 tbsp. cinnamon
1 gallon oil for frying
Method: In a medium sauce pot, bring lard, water and salt to a boil. Next add the flour and combine until the mixture starts to pull away from the sides of the pot and creates a film. Remove the pot from the heat and immediately add the dough to the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix on a low speed until it cools to just above room temperature. Add eggs and continue mixing until the batter is fully combined and smooth. Transfer the batter to a piping bag with a large star tip (No. 7) to prepare for frying. In a new bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Fill another sauce pot with about 1 gallon of oil, using an oil thermometer to bring the temperature to 350 degrees. Pipe the churro batter into the hot oil in 3-inch sections and fry till golden brown. Remove churros from oil using a slotted spoon and toss in the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Serve with chocolate sauce, caramel sauce or whipped cream.
Previous Discussion: