The Bent Fork Lemon Cardamom Churros with Spicy Chocolate Sauce

The Bent Fork
Lemon Cardamom Churros with Spicy Chocolate Sauce
The Minnesota State Fair is this week, and while I always try to make it to this celebration of fried food and kitchy booths, I have been so busy this week and unable to find time to go. So, as a lovely and satisfying alternative, I went on a hunt for a fair food-esque recipe to try at home. And this is what I found.
Let me first say, fair food is my guilty pleasure - funnel cakes, cheese curds, corn dogs, french fries, italian sausages, fresh lemonade. Swoon. So, when I stumbled upon this unique and satisfying recipe for churros I new it was the perfect alternative. In addition to lovely fried goodness of churros, this recipe has a unique twist - lemon and cardamom! And did I mention the spicy chocolate dipping sauce? Yes. That good. Enjoy.

Churros
Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup water
• 2 pods cardamom, cracked
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar (for rolling the churros)

Directions

• In a saucepan over medium high heat, combine water, oil, 2 Tbsp. of sugar, salt, cardamom pods, lemon zest and lemon juice. Bring it to a boil, and lower the heat to let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. After this remove the cardamom pods and remove the saucepan from the heat.
• Mix well the baking soda with the flour, add the flour to the saucepan and stir vigorously until the mixture forms a ball.
• Let it cool down for 4-5 minutes and add the eggs one at time and mix well with the dough. I use hand mixer just to make my life easier.
• Heat the oil for frying the churros around 350° – 375° F.
• Transfer the thick batter to pastry bag. Pipe the strips of dough into the oil carefully cutting them to desired length with kitchen scissors of knife.
• Fry until golden, transfer on paper towel to drain excess oil.
• Roll the churros in sugar, serve hot.

Spicy Chocolate Sauce
Ingredients

• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 1 to 2 red peppers
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions

• In a sauce pan combine all the ingredients and bring to a bare simmer on low heat.
• Keep stirring until chocolate melts.