Best Sopaipilla Ice Cream Sundaes Recipes

SOPAPILLAS AT HOME

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the shortening, and use your hands to integrate it well with the flour.
• Pour the hot water into the bowl, little by little. Work the dough with your fingers, mixing the dry ingredients with the water until you form a dough.
• On your table or countertop, knead the dough for about 4-5 minutes until it is smooth. Form a ball with the dough and place it back in the bowl.
• Cover the dough with a plastic or kitchen napkin and let it rest for at least 20 minutes. This resting time helps the gluten to develop and make it easy for you to roll out the dough and form the sopapillas.
• After the resting time, slightly knead the dough again and then form it back into a ball. Flatten the ball a little bit, then cut it into 4 pieces using a knife or a pastry cutter.
• Pour the oil into a large pot and turn the heat to medium-low. The oil should reach an average temperature of 350ºF.
• Roll the 4 pieces of dough to form smaller balls. Place one on your working surface and set the other 3 pieces aside, covered with plastic wrap. Form a round disk with the dough using a rolling pin. The disc should be about 6 inches in diameter, and ⅛ to ¼ of an inch in thickness.
• Once you form the disc, cut it into four pieces. These pieces will look like triangles. Carefully place each one into the hot oil. Make sure you do not overcrowd the pot. Once the dough triangles are in the oil, they will inflate almost immediately. Continue cooking until the bottoms of the sopapillas are medium golden, then turn them to cook on the other side until light brown and crispy. The sopapillas will take a total of about 4-5 minutes to cook completely.
• Remove the sopaipillas from the oil using a slotted spatula, and place them on a plate covered with paper towels (to absorb any excess oil) Follow steps 6-8 to continue forming and cooking the remaining sopapillas.
• To serve the sopaipillas, dust them with the confectioner's sugar and ground cinnamon, and then drizzle them with honey (or Piloncillo syrup, if you have any).

REAL SOPAPILLAS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and shortening. Stir in water; mix until dough is smooth. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes.
• Roll out on floured board until 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 3 inch squares. Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

SOPAIPILLA ICE CREAM SUNDAES

Steps:

• Cut 4 tortillas in half, then crosswise into thin strips. Cut remaining 4 tortillas into quarters. Add enough oil to heavy medium skillet to reach depth of 1/2 inch. Heat oil over medium heat to 350°F. Working in batches, fry tortilla strips, then tortilla quarters until golden and crisp, about 1 1/2 minutes per batch. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels. Drain. Mix 5 tablespoons sugar and ground cinnamon in small bowl. Sprinkle mixture onto all sides of tortillas. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store tortillas airtight at room temperature.)
• Combine milk and cinnamon sticks in heavy large saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat; cover and let steep 30 minutes.
• Add honey to milk mixture; return to simmer. Whisk yolks and 3 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in hot milk mixture. Return mixture to saucepan and stir over medium heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 3 minutes (do not boil). Strain into large bowl. Whisk in sour cream and tequila. Refrigerate until cold, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours.
• Transfer custard to ice cream maker; process according to manufacturer's instructions. Fold in fried tortilla strips; process 3 minutes. Transfer to covered container; freeze until firm. (Ice cream can be made 2 days ahead. Keep frozen.)
• Place 2 scoops ice cream in bowls. Garnish each with 2 fried tortilla quarters. Top with sauces and bananas, and sprinkle with pecans. Serve immediately.