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–+ servings

Eggplant Churros

This two-day recipe from the Nicolett in Lubbock might be a bit of a project, but the result of crispy, melt-in-your-mouth morsels is worth it.
Servings 4

Ingredients  

  • 2 large purple eggplants
  • salt, to taste
  • ½ cup extra-virgin Texas olive oil
  • ½ cup tamari
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons cassava flour, or 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 lemon, zested
  • 1 quart rice-bran oil, or preferred frying oil
  • 2 ounces Maldon salt, or other finishing salt
  • yucca flowers, if available

Directions 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  • Cut eggplants in half (pole to pole). Score the interior of the eggplants in a diamond-shaped pattern with a knife, being careful not to cut through to skin.
  • Massage salt, olive oil, and tamari into the flesh of the eggplant halves as well as the outside skin. Allow to rest for 15 minutes.
  • Roast eggplants flesh side down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Allow to cook for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the skin begins to wrinkle and a fork or cake tester passes through without any resistance.
  • Once finished cooking, pull eggplants from the oven and let them cool for 5–10 minutes. While eggplants are still warm, but manageable, scoop out the flesh with a large spoon and dump directly into the base of a food processor. Blend until a smooth puree forms.
  • Place 2 egg yolks and 2 whole eggs into a bowl. Add flour into another vessel.
  • While the food processor is running, add eggs, flour, and lemon zest to the puree. Once incorporated, cool down mixture as quickly as possible, in either a refrigerator or ice bath, and allow to rest overnight.
  • The next day, pull eggplant puree from the refrigerator and place into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk mixture, making certain that there are no lumps and that puree is shiny and emulsified.
  • Place mixture into a piping bag fitted with a fluted pastry decorating tip. Pipe mixture onto a parchment-lined tray in a circular motion to form a spiral and place in the freezer for approximately 45 minutes. (Can remain in the freezer for multiple days in advance, if properly wrapped/sealed.)
  • Once eggplant has frozen, heat rice-bran (or other) oil in a medium-sized pot to 375 degrees F.
  • Drop frozen churro into oil, making sure to drop away from yourself to avoid splashing. Once dropped in oil, do not touch: allow to cook. Once a golden-brown color has begun to form on the sides, begin basting oil on top with a spoon to achieve an even, brown color. When finished browning (after a few minutes), pull from the oil with a slotted spoon and dry on paper towels. Season immediately with Maldon salt.
  • Finish by garnishing with fresh yucca flowers, if available.

Notes

This is ideally a two-day recipe: make the eggplant puree on one day, and do the frying on the following day.