Churros Recipe to transport you to Spain and Mexico

Churros will always be my favorite comfort sugary snack. It not complicated to make… pretty straightforward. And it’s best to have it fresh and slightly warm! They are made with simple pantry-staple ingredients and fried to perfection…  And don’t let the deep frying scare you. Unfortunately I couldn’t take a video on how to fry it but do check online on how to do so. As long as you have a piping bag, a metal star tip and the enthusiasm to make a great treat, then you can make churros at home without breaking a sweat. So here is the recipe 

Ingredients

·         1 cup water

·         1 cinnamon stick

·         1/4 cup unsalted butter, diced into small cubes

·         1 Tbsp  granulated sugar

·         1/4 tsp salt

·         1 cup all-purpose flour 

·         1 large egg

·         1 tsp vanilla extract

·         Vegetable oil, for frying

For coating

·         1/3 cup to ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar

·         3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

1.       For the coating whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish, set aside.

2.       Heat about 1 1/2 inches vegetable oil in a large pot or deep skillet over medium-high heat to 360 degrees Fahrenheit. While oil is heating prepare batter.

3.       Add water, cinnamon, butter, half teaspoon of vanilla extract, sugar and salt to a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

4.       Add flour reduce heat to low and cook and stir constantly with a rubber spatula until mixture comes together and is smooth (a few lumps in it are fine).

5.       Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and let it cool for 5 minutes.

6.       Add the rest of the vanilla extract and egg to flour mixture then blend immediately with an electric mixer. Blend until mixture comes together and is smooth (it will separate at first but keep mixing it will come together).

7.       Transfer to a 16-inch piping bag fitted with a rounded star tip (no bigger than 1/2-inch). 

8.       Carefully pipe mixture into preheated oil, into about 6-inch lengths, cut end with clean scissors.

9.       Let it fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to dry briefly then transfer to cinnamon sugar mixture and roll to coat.

10.   Repeat process with remaining dough (frying no more than 5 at once). Serve warm with chocolate ganache or caramel sauce for dipping if desired.

Above pictures are copyrighted by Ticked by Inspirations

Creamy Garlic Salmon with Spinach and Sundried Tomatoes

This pan seared Salmon in a creamy garlic sauce with sun dried tomatoes, spinach and parmesan is packed with so much flavour, looks fancy and is quite easy to make! And the best part of it is, it’s all cooked in one pan. This is one of the best salmon recipes I have tried and came out so well. And I can vouch that this dish will be wiped out clean!!

The recipe is adapted from here and I have tweaked it a bit from the original... so here it is and I hope you try it out!


Ingredients

§  3-4 salmon fillets

§  2 teaspoons olive oil

§  2 tablespoons butter

§  5 cloves garlic, chopped finely

§  1 small yellow onion, chopped finely

§  1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable broth

§  4 to 5 ounces (150g) jarred sun-dried tomato in oil, drained of oil

§  1 cup heavy cream or light cream or add more depending on how much sauce you want

§  Salt and pepper, to taste

§  2 cups baby spinach leaves

§  1/2 cup grated Parmesan

§  1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the salmon filets on both sides with salt and pepper, and sear in the hot pan, flesh-side down first, for 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked to your liking. Once the salmon filets are cooked, remove from the pan and set aside.

2. In the same pan, melt the butter in the remaining leftover cooked juices. Add in the garlic and fry until fragrant (about one minute). Add onion and stir fry until translucent. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and fry for 2 to 3 minutes so they release their flavors. Then pour the vegetable broth, and allow the sauce to reduce down a bit. 

3. Reduce heat to low, add the heavy cream, and bring to a gentle simmer, while stirring occasionally. Season the cream sauce with salt and pepper to your taste.

4. Add the baby spinach and allow it to cook in the sauce. Then add the parmesan cheese (the best part to take the sauce to the next level). Allow cream sauce to simmer for a further minute until cheese melts through. 

5. Add the grilled salmon filets back into the pan; sprinkle with the parsley, and spoon the sauce over each filet. Serve the creamy garlic salmon over steamed veg, brown rice or cauliflower rice or pasta, simple quinoa or just bread. Enjoy!

Notes:

• You can add a dash of white wine to the sauce for more flavor, instead of or along with the vegetable broth.
• You can substitute cream with coconut cream or light cream. 
• And instead of sundried tomatoes you can roast capsicums and add to the cream.

Above pictures are copyrighted Ticked by Inspirations