Churros con Chocolate

Ingredients

• 250g plain flour
• 250ml water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 tsp fine salt
• 1 litre sunflower oil for frying
• 3 tbsp caster sugar for dusting
• 500ml whole milk
• 150g dark chocolate, 60 to 70 percent, chopped
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp caster sugar for the chocolate

Before you cook

• Weigh the flour into a bowl and have it ready beside the stove.
• Chop the dark chocolate into small even pieces.
• Fit a sturdy piping bag with a large open star nozzle, at least 10mm across.
• Line a tray with kitchen paper.

Steps

1. Bring the water to a full rolling boil in a saucepan with the salt and the olive oil.
2. Take the pan off the heat and tip in all the flour in one go.
3. Beat hard with a wooden spoon for about a minute until the dough pulls into a single smooth ball that leaves the sides clean.
4. Leave the dough to cool for 10 minutes, or it will melt the piping bag.
5. Spoon the warm dough into the prepared piping bag and twist the top closed.
6. Pour the sunflower oil into a deep heavy pan to a depth of 5cm and heat it to 190C.
7. Pipe a 15cm length of dough directly over the oil and snip it free with oiled scissors.
8. Pipe three or four more churros into the pan, keeping them apart.
9. Fry for about 2 minutes per side until deep golden and firm, turning them once with tongs.
10. Lift the churros onto the paper-lined tray to drain.
11. Fry the remaining dough in batches, letting the oil come back to temperature between each one.
12. Whisk the cornflour into 4 tablespoons of the cold milk in a small bowl until no lumps remain.
13. Heat the rest of the milk with the sugar in a saucepan until it steams.
14. Drop in the chopped chocolate and whisk until it has completely melted.
15. Pour in the cornflour slurry and whisk continuously.
16. Simmer gently for 3 minutes, whisking, until the chocolate is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon heavily.
17. Dust the churros with caster sugar and pour the chocolate into small cups for dunking.