Churros stuffed with honey custard

For the filling, combine the milk and honey in a small saucepan placed over low heat until the mixture is warm throughout. Do not bring to a boil. While the milk and honey mixture is heating up, place the 3 egg yolks, 20g cake flour and ½ tsp vanilla paste in a large bowl and combine with a whisk.

Temper the egg yolks by pouring in a little of the warm honey-milk mixture. Whisk quickly to combine, then slowly add a little more of the milk mixture and whisk to combine once more. Pour the tempered egg-yolk mixture into the remaining honey-milk mixture in the saucepan. Return to medium heat and stir continuously until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon, 15 – 20 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a small, round nozzle. Set aside until needed.

For the churros, place the water and butter in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over low heat. Add the 250g cake flour and 1 tsp vanilla paste, and stir until a smooth ball of dough forms. Remove from heat and slowly add the 4 whisked egg yolks a little at a time, mixing vigorously to combine (it will take a little muscle). Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large, star-shaped nozzle.

Heat the canola oil in a large pot over medium heat until it reaches 180˚C on a sugar thermometer. Pipe 10cm lengths of dough into the hot oil and deep-fry until golden brown and airy, about 10 minutes. Deep fry as many pieces as will fit without touching each other in the oil. Remove using a slotted spoon and place on paper towel to absorb excess oil. Repeat until the dough is finished.

While deep-frying the churros, combine the ground cinnamon and castor sugar in a medium bowl. Add the churros and toss until coated well.

Using a skewer, make a small hole at one end of each churro and insert about three quarters of the way through the length of the churro. Be careful not to go all the way through to the other end. Working with one at a time, fill each churro by pressing the nozzle of the remaining piping bag into the hole and squeezing the honey-custard filling into the cavity (you might have to twist the nozzle to reach all the crevices). Serve immediately.