Episode 1 – Cactuar Churros

When I looked at the shape of a churro, the ridges that you get from piping the dough out of a pastry bag fitted with a star nozzle made me think they look like a cactus, and Final Fantasy, one of my all time FAVORITE video game series has a staple character called the Cactuar (also called Sabotender).  Cactuar just so happens to be a cactus enemy with arms and legs who is hard to catch and usually seen running around the battlefield with a surprised expression.

Churros are delicious, deep-fried sticks of pastry dough covered in cinnamon sugar that you might find at a carnival, street fair, or even in the subways of New York City!!  This baked recipe requires no oil or frying, so it’s a bit healthier and much easier to make.  I found this recipe on Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking.  She’s awesome, check her out!  http://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/homemade-churros/

Don’t take his small stature for grated though, his “1000 Needles” attack can decimate your low-level character in the blink of an eye!  Forget about Jumbo Cactuar.

So, I thought what a perfect way to bring this guy to life than to make Final Fantasy inspired Cactuar Churros.

To make the churros, you will need…

• 1 c. water
• ½ c. butter
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 Tbls sugar (white or brown)
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 C. AP flour
• 3 eggs at room temperature
• For coating: ¼ c. sugar (colored green)
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Some black fondant
• A little dark chocolate melted and cooled and put in a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Candy melts or chocolate frosting would work well here too!
• 2 piping bags with two different size star tips. Or one bag fitted with a coupler and two tips.  I used Ateco #856 (large) and #844 (medium)
• 2 Baking trays (doubled up) and the top one lined with parchment paper
• Cactuar Template (see Templates section or click here: https://fantasyfoodshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Cactuar-Churro-Template.pdf)
• Medium Saucepan, Spatula, Whisk, Measuring Jug, baking dish or bowl for cinnamon sugar coating

Let me show you how it’s done!

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F or 200 C.
2. We’re making a delicate dough and this will help keep them from burning on the bottom.  Print out two copies of the template (or however many fit your size baking tray) I used 1 and a half for this size baking tray.  Just cut the second template in half and take it to the bottom of the first template.  You will probably need to trim it a bit more, just make sure it fits in your baking tray. I’m just going to slip the template under the parchment paper and set that aside for later.
3. Before making the churro dough make spikes for the cactuars’ heads. Take a tiny bit of black fondant and roll it between your finger and palm to create spikes about and inch long at most.  Make a bunch, then let them dry out and harden.
4. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan add the water, butter, sugar, and salt, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
5. As soon as the butter is melted and the mixture is simmering  add in the flour and whisk until there are no lumps and it forms a ball.  Switch to my spatula (or wooden spoon) at this point and keep mixing the dough on LOW heat (you don’t want this to brown) for about a minute to cook out any raw flour taste.  Then, take the pan off the heat and let it cool for a few minutes.
6. Crack the eggs into a bowl or measuring jug the vanilla.  It really helps to have your eggs at room temperature so they’re closer to the temperature of the mixture.
7. Add the egg mixture a bit at a time into the slightly cooled dough mixure.  At first, it will look all broken up, but keep mixing and it will all come together.
8. Once the eggs are all in, divide the dough between the two piping bags. You’ll probably need a bit more in the bag with the smaller start tip, as that will be the arms and legs.
9. Pipe the churros starting with the body of the cactuars.  Using the bag with the larger star tip, follow the body of the cactuar and pipe a little more than the length of his torso.  Use a sharp knife to cut off the dough in line with the bottom of his left leg.  Do this for the rest of the bodies.
10. Switch to the bag with the smaller star tip and pipe the arms and legs making sure they attach to the body. Rather than cutting the dough off with the knife press the tip into the sheetpan and twist to break off the dough.  You can go back with a wet finger tip round the end of the arms and legs.
    1. TAKE OUT THE TEMPLATE BEFORE BAKING!!!! Sprinkle the pan with a little bit of water to help the churros rise in the oven and bake them for about 18-22 minutes.  Then, turn the oven off and let them sit in the oven for another 10 minutes to help them dry out and keep their shape.
    2. Mix the green sugars with the cinnamon and salt and coat the baked churros in the cinnamon/sugar mixture being careful not to break their arms and legs!
11. Use a skewer and poke three holes in the tops of the cactuars’ heads and insert a black fondant spike into each hole.
12. Pipe eyes and a mouth with the melted chocolate or candy melts in the cactuar’s signature surprise expression.

And there you go!!!!  Cactuar Churros.

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