When Paula Requena joined the Gucci Osteria in Florence team as a pastry chef, she communicated mainly through Karime López, as she spoke most confidently in Spanish. To forge bonds with the others on the team she promised to make churros, and a year passed until Karime announced “today’s the day for a staff meal with churros”. That day, half the team wanted banana split, and the other half wanted churros, so Paula and Karime decided to mix the two, to resounding success. “This banana split churro is dessert heaven, our team fell for this mash-up and request it all the time,” Karime said. Karime gives her tips on getting churros to the right golden crispiness: the importance of having the oil at the right temperature of 350 F / 175 C otherwise you risk having a raw or burnt churro.
100 ml water
80 ml whole milk
30 ml cream (35% fat)
90 g butter
10 g sugar
5 g fine salt
180 g 00 flour
4 eggs
1 vanilla pod
Sunflower seed oil for frying 2 litres
METHOD
1. Bring the water to the boil with the whole milk, cream, butter, salt, sugar and vanilla seeds. Once it’s boiled remove from the heat, add the flour and stir until there are no more lumps.
2. Put the mixture back on to a medium heat until the flour is cooked.
3. Remove the mixture from the heat and put it in a mixer. Mix with the flat beater attachment at medium speed and slowly add in the eggs.
4. You should end up with a soft yet solid dough.
5. Place the dough in a pastry bag fitted with a star attachment and refrigerate for at least one hour.
FRYING THE CHURROS
1. Take the refrigerated dough and pipe churros in a straight line, around 12 cm / inches
2. Place in the freezer for at least 40 mins
3. Fly the churros in oil at 180 C for 5 mins, you need to roll it in the fryer so it has an even golden colour
SPICED BANANA CREAM
500 g mashed banana
110 g muscovado sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
75 ml water
15 g butter
METHOD
1. Melt the sugar in the saucepan, add the butter and cinnamon
2. Add the mashed banana, cook until softened.
3. Let the banana mixture cool.
4. For a smooth cream blend in the blender.
70% CHOCOLATE GANACHE
142 g 70% chocolate
200 ml cream (35% fat)
30 ml liquid glucose
METHOD
1. Heat the cream and liquid glucose together, mixing in the chocolate in three stages.
2. Let the mixture cool down slightly and mix to make it smoother.
3. Refrigerate for 4 hours.
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