Taher Jibet of the Dining Room in Weymouth takes us on a tasty trip to his past with a delicious recipe for churros and chocolate

Churros and Chocolate

Makes around 20 churros

Churros:

  • 50g butter, melted
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 250g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 litre sunflower oil
  • cubes of bread (for testing temperature of oil)

For the sauce:

  • 200g bar dark chocolate, not too bitter, broken into chunks
  • 100ml double cream
  • 100ml whole milk
  • 3 tbsp golden syrup
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract

For the cinnamon sugar:

  • 100g caster sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon

Pour 350ml boiling water into a jug and add the melted butter and vanilla extract. Sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl with a big pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre, then pour in the contents of the jug and very quickly beat into the flour with a wooden spoon until smooth. Leave for 10-15 mins while you make the sauce.

Put all the sauce ingredients into a pan and gently melt together, stirring occasionally until you have a smooth shiny sauce. Keep warm on a low heat.

Fill a large deep saucepan one-third full of oil. Heat until a cube of bread browns in 45 seconds-1 min. Cover a tray with kitchen paper and mix the caster sugar and cinnamon together.

Fit a star nozzle to a piping bag, 1.5-2cm wide is a good size. Fill with the rested dough, then pipe 2-3 strips directly into the pan, snipping off each dough strip with a pair of kitchen scissors.

Fry until golden brown and crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on the kitchen paper-lined tray.

Carry on cooking the rest of the dough in batches, sprinkling the cooked churros with some cinnamon sugar as you go. Once you’ve cooked all the churros, toss with any remaining cinnamon sugar and serve with the chocolate sauce, for dipping.