Mocha Served with Chiacchere
- Level: Easy
- Total: 1 hr 30 min
- Prep: 15 min
- Inactive: 1 hr
- Cook: 15 min
- Yield: 4 to 6 Servings
Ingredients
Chiacchere
Peanut oil or canola oil, for deep frying
1 1/2 cups flour, sifted
2 heaping tablespoons brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons apple-flavored brandy (recommended: Calvados)
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Mocha
4 Espressos
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 cups milk
Pinch ground cayenne pepper or ground cinnamon, for topping mochas
Directions
- Heat enough peanut oil to come halfway up the sides of a heavy-bottomed pot until an oil thermometer reads 375 degrees F or heat the oil in a deep fat fryer. To make the chiacchere: In a big bowl, combine the flour and brown sugar. Make a hole in the center of the mixture and pour in the eggs, unsalted butter and apple-flavored brandy. Carefully mix the center with a fork until the eggs are beaten. Slowly bring a bit of flour towards the center, keep doing this until all the flour is damp with egg mixture. Knead it together until you get a stiff dough. Add a bit of flour if dough is too sticky. Form the dough into a ball, cover it with a damp towel and let it sit for 1 hour. Roll out the dough about 1/8-inch thick. Use a pastry cutter to slice it into 1-inch wide by 5-inch long ribbons. Fry the ribbons in the oil until they become golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack set over a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Dust the fried dough with confectioners' sugar. To make the mocha: Make 4 espressos. In a jar, combine the cocoa powder, brown sugar and 1/2 a cup of milk. Shake vigorously until smooth. Pour the chocolate mixture into a pot, add 1 1/2 cups milk and whisk together. Heat the chocolate mixture over medium-low heat. The second that it begins to steam, cover the pot and take it off of the heat. In a coffee bowl, pour together equal parts espresso and chocolate milk. Sprinkle with a pinch cayenne pepper or cinnamon.
