Historic Casa Vega Celebrates Summer with Ice Cream Churro for the Kids

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(Gerry Furth-Sides, images are courtesy of Casa Vega). Historic Casa Vega, Los Angeles’s landmark 61-year old Mexican restaurant, celebrates National Ice Cream Sandwich Day on August 2. Young Angelenos will be treated to a special ice cream churro sandwich, with a minimum order of a Casa Vega kid’s meal, compliments of second-generation owner Christy Vega.

The New Kids Menu ($7.50) includes five popular Mexican entree dishes and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, a side and milk, juice or soft drink.

The Ice Cream sandwiches are available at Casa Vega, 13301 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91423, 818.788.4868, www.casavega.com

As glamorous as any celebrity (and seen on Food Network TV), and as efficient and welcoming as a proprietor who has grown up in the restaurant can be, Christy is also a mom and created the recipe at home. Now a favorite dessert of Christy’s four young sons, the chocolate-dipped churros sandwiching vanilla ice cream adds an ethnic twist to three popular treats – churros, ice cream, and chocolate.

So for families looking to try making the sandwiches at home, here is Christy’s recipe. Of course, the technique at Casa Vega has been honed over the decades to look like the daily dessert shown below.

Churro Ice cream Sandwich Yield: 8 Ingredients CHURROS

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup water

1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 large eggs, beaten

Vegetable oil



CINNAMON SUGAR

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon



CHOCOLATE GANACHE

8 ounces dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon chili powder (optional)



2 pints vanilla ice cream Instructions To make the churros, in a medium saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Stir in water, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir in flour. Continue to stir over low heat for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Note, make sure the dough has cooled in order to prevent eggs from scrambling. Incorporate 1 egg at a time into the dough, stirring until well mixed and the dough is smooth. Prepare a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Set aside. Prepare cinnamon sugar by mixing together granulated sugar and ground cinnamon in a shallow pan. Line baking sheets with paper towels and set aside near frying station. Using a wok, or large saucepan, heat vegetable oil to a temperature of 350°F. Pipe 4-inches of dough into the oil, no more than three at a time. Fry until golden brown, using tongs to turn the churros. Note, maintaining the oil temperature at around 350°F is important. If the oil becomes too hot, the churros will brown quickly on the outside, not thoroughly cooking through. Remove crispy churros from the oil and roll into the cinnamon sugar. Set on prepared baking sheets to cool. Continue steps until all the dough has been fried. Allow churros to cool completely. Slice horizontally in half. Line three halves of the churros side by side. Fill with ice cream. Top with three more churro halves. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. While sandwiches are freezing, place chocolate, whipping cream, and chili powder (optional) in a Bain Marie. Melt chocolate over low heat. Continue to stir until smooth. Allow cooling to room temperature. Dip frozen sandwiches into chocolate. Serve immediately or store in a freezer.

For more information, please visit www.casavega.com or find Casa Vega on Facebook and Instagram.