Friday, June 18, 2010

Lemon Anise Churros


Photo Courtesy of Nicki Dowey

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...
When a chef whose specialty is Southwestern cooking, adds Asian spices to pâte à choux, the end result is a churro with attitude. In its simplest form, a churro is a cylindrical piece of fried dough. It was developed by Spanish shepherds centuries ago and it got its name because it resembled the horns of the Churro sheep they tended. The original churro was the size of a breadstick and was usually eaten for breakfast. The churro escaped its borders during the Age of Discovery and can now be found on tables in many parts of the world. Chef David Walzog added ground star anise and lemon zest to the churros he made during his tenure in the kitchen at Arizona 206. They are delicious and easy to make, but they are not with out pitfalls. The churro must be well-drained, but still warm when it receives its sugar coating, and it must be served immediately after that's been done. These wait for no man or woman. You've been warned. You'll see what happens when I don't follow my own advice at the bottom this post. Having shared that with you, I'd like it to remain our little secret. If you have never had a churro, I hope you will give this recipe a try. If you've had them before, I hope you'll give this version a try. The star anise and lemon zest make these really special. Here's the recipe.

Lemon Anise Churros
...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by David Walzog

Ingredients:
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1 stick (4-oz.) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons ground star anise
Grated zest of 1 lemon
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Directions:

1) Sift flour and salt into a medium bowl
2) Combine water, butter, anise and lemon zest in a 3-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add flour, all at once, and cook, beating constantly until flour forms a ball and films bottom of pan. Remove pan from heat.
3) Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated and mixture is smooth and shiny.
4) Combine granulated sugar and confectioners' sugar in a plastic bag and set aside.
5) Spoon batter into a pastry bag fitted with a medium-sized star tip.
6) Heat 3-inch of oil in a deep pan until it reaches 375 degrees F.
7) Pipe batter into oil in 5 to 6-inch lengths. Do not crowd pan. Fry until golden brown, about three minutes. Remove from oil and drain on paper toweling. Continue frying until all batter has been used.
8) Drop warm churros into bag of sugar and shake to generously coat. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings

You might also enjoy these recipes:
French Quarter Beignets - One Perfect Bite
Zeppole - One Perfect Bite
Calas Sweet Rice Fritters - One Perfect Bite
Recipe of the Day: Churros - Mark Bittman
Churros con Chocolate - Baking Bites

64 comments :

La Bella Cooks said...

What a unique flavor combo for a churro. This is such a fun treat. I can almost taste the anise!

Jeannie said...

I am sure these churros taste very good and smell wonderful! I love the smell of anise.

Jane said...

Oooo this sounds so good! I just bought a churro maker at my local Spanish market. This is a good reason to try it out this weekend.

mr. pineapple man said...

mmm churros! i miss disneyworld...

Sushma Mallya said...

They look so yum and lovely..nice flavoured ones...have a lovely day mary,take care

Sarah B. said...

mmmmm those look very tasty!!!

Monet said...

These would be trouble for me! Something about sweet fried dough turns me into a glutton!

Dream It Up Cookies said...

These sound so good Mary. I love anise, it has such a special flavor.

Baking is my Zen...sweet nibbles for the soul said...

I've never had Churros! Need to bake a batch!

Carmen

pigpigscorner said...

I love churros with thick hot chocolate, this with star anise sounds amazing!

Ana Powell said...

Outstanding churros recipe.
Great combination of flavours.
Wishing you a great weekend ♥

Priya Suresh said...

Feel like grabbing, very tempting churros..

momgateway said...

mmmmmm....how clever to mix these two flavors...

Federica Simoni said...

la foto è talmente bella che mi mangerei lo schermo del computer!!!bravissima!!!

Diane said...

I have never heard of a churro before but they sound very yummy. Diane

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

I never make churros before, look at your beautiful churros, i feel I want to try it soon. Have a nice weekend ahead.

Unknown said...

I've not heard of churros before either. They look like they would disappear quickly once served though!

FOODESSA said...

I've got the attitude and your Churros suits me just fine;o)
We make similar treats like these around the festive Christmas periods. I do find that adding the anis would give our recipe a nice twist. I will have to suggest it to out family.
Flavourful wishes, Claudia

Allie and Pattie said...

My kids love churros and no worries about letting them sit- they're usually standing around the fryer like rabid vultures!! :) I'm lucky if I can drain them! Love the flavor combo and will definitely try that
xoxo Pattie

Sinful Southern Sweets said...

Oh wow!! I've never even thought of making churros. Yours are just stunning!

From the Kitchen said...

I would have never thought of this combination. It sounds delicious and I'll try it as soon as I can gather an appreciative "audience". Your "secret" is safe with me!

Best,
Bonnie

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

These would be so addictive Mary rolled in sugar and/or cinnamon.

Martha said...

I think the lemon and star anise would flavor many things well! Cookies perhaps! For deep fried dough, they do look good, however.

pam said...

Yum! Fried dough is always good!

Chef Dennis Littley said...

there are some great flavors going on in your churros! there is something so wonderful about frying dough and coating it in sugar!!!

Cathy said...

Yum, these churros look fantastic. Fried dough with sugar on it - what's not to love?

Angie's Recipes said...

These churros look fabulous!

Nisrine@Dinners and Dreams said...

What a great flavor for churros. I've only had them plain.

Ciao Chow Linda said...

I never would have thought of flavoring these with anise but what a great idea.

Debbi Does Dinner Healthy said...

These are cute and they look delicious!! I've never made them but it sounds intriguing!

ann said...

Yum - my kids adore churros.

ann

PeggyR said...

Two great flavors Mary. I think you created another winner. When my husband is able to eat solid food again I will have to make these as he loves lemon!

Unknown said...

Thanks for telling the story of the CHurro, look so good

Shellbelle said...

When I lived in California, you could find Mexican street vendors selling churros. They were so good, but not fancy flavors like these. I've never even thought to try and make them, but now that you've reminded me just how good they are, I'll have to give it a try. Thanks!

Cristie said...

I've never made churros's before, but I must admit I'm tempted by yours. These look beautiful! Thank you for the history lesson, so interesting.

Deana Sidney said...

WOnderful recipe.. they are so light and sweet... I have always like them but with star anise... whoa, that's a great idea!

Adventures in Domestic Cooking said...

Perfect, just lovely!!=)

Lucie said...

Mary, these are beautiful! I love the flavor combinations--definitely a change from the classic churro!

tinyskillet said...

I've had plenty of churros before, but have never made them! They look good, and I must try it!

A SPICY PERSPECTIVE said...

Oh, Mary, these look completely irresistible! I have never made churros, as I don't really enjoy deep-frying, but I would make an exception for these! Well done!

Pam said...

Yum, yum, yum. I sure wish I had a few of these to eat with my coffee.

Valérie said...

Churro with an attitude - I like it!

sweetlife said...

what a wonderful variation to the churro, love these babies

sweetlife

The Cilantropist said...

Ah, living in San Diego so close to the mexican border I have learned to just love these sweet tender snacks. Yours look beautiful and are making my mouth water! :)

Joanne said...

I love churros but try to restrain myself from them as much as possible. This gourmet version with the lemon anise flavors is one that I certainly would not be able to resist!

The Blonde Duck said...

Oh churros!

giorno26 ¸¸.•*¨*•. said...

Buone buone buone !!!
Hello Mary, possa essere un bel fine settimana :-))

PranisKitchen said...

this is very new one for me..what a snack..ho [perfectly u have prepared this..have to try this ..Have a nice weekend Mary

CinnamonChoc said...

hye.u have a very nice blog here.i love to cook & ur recipes will sure help me a lot n make my day ;) thanx~

redmenace said...

A divine combination. Thank you for such inspiration!

Jennifer said...

Yummy, I love love love Churro's. The addition of Anise must make these over the top!

Unknown said...

anise, lemon, and fried bread.....holy yum

Julie said...

I've never had churros and I've been wanting to make something with star anise! I just don't have enough time for all these recipes! :)

CaSaundraLeigh said...

These are so cool!! I loved learning how they got their name!

The Words Crafter said...

I love that you always give information about the background, etc. Makes food much more interesting...and this looks and sounds delicious! Happy Weekend!

Lorraine said...

The first time I had a churro was at Disney's Epcot Center at Mexico. Every time we go back to Disney, I have to get one now. I love them but have never thought to make them. I am very excited to try these. My kids will be thrilled. Thanks for sharing:)

Erica said...

Yum, yum, yum. These churros look awesome.In Colombia we eat them with hot chocolate. Love the combo Lemon-Anise.

Joe Ambrosino said...

Asian Spanish zeppoles!You amaze me, Mary.

My Little Space said...

CHURROS! Yeah, I've been plannng for this too. Hopefully, will be able to try this out soon. Looks so tempting!
Cheers, Kristy

Cooking with Kait said...

Hi Mary, this recipe is great! I love churros, but the long ones are usually too much and after half of it I'm sick of the flavor. These bite sized churros are the perfect treat and I love the flavoring.

tasteofbeirut said...

Love churros, but I must say, I prefer to eat them when prepared by someone other than myself! All this frying and serving right away does require a bit of speed and finesse!

Sparkly Jules said...

I am SO making these. I love churros. Although I would probably eat my shoes if they had cinnamon-sugar on them. LOL



YUM!

katrina said...

OH! You read my mind, didn't you? I've been longing to make churros, but since my cookbooks tend to be overwhelmingly French, I was stumped. Thank you, thank you for a terrific recipe!

Denise | Chez Danisse said...

Now these look really interesting. I love the star anise and lemon zest flavor combination for a churro.

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