Churro French Toast with Chocolate Mole

The title alone should be intriguing enough but in case isn't, well, I'm just going to leave this picture right here.

Now that I have your attention, let me explain how we got here. Mole (mol-eh), spicy Mexican chocolate, can be found mostly in savory dishes but the concept translates well to sweet dishes too. I'd been having a craving for spicy chocolate for some time now but couldn't figure out the best vehicle for it. Hot chocolate? Done it a dozen times over. Chocolate pudding? It's happened occasionally. Then I decided to use the other half of my brain, the one that speaks Spanish, and came up with a natural complement: churro French toast.

When I studied in Spain our all nighters were capped off with a 6am visit to the nearest churreria tucked away on one of the cities narrow, cobble-stoned streets. Churros are usually served with a hot chocolate beverage or sauce used for dipping; some were thick, like the consistency I ended up with, others were more like a milky beverage. Either way it went down easily and deliciously. While the spicy component to the chocolate is more rooted in Mexican culture, churros and chocolate are popular in both Spain and Mexico. You could also add a raspberry sauce to give this dish more dimension or just swap the sauces when the weather warms up. So without further ado, a tasty present from me to you! Feliz Navidad! 

**This is for one (1) serving**

1 brioche roll, split length wise

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tbsp butter

3 tbsp raw sugar (I preferred the crunch, regular sugar works just as well)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mole sauce (recipe follows)

Whisk the egg, milk, vanilla, nutmeg and 1/8 tsp of cinnamon in a small bowl. Let the slices of bread soak for a minute or two on each side in the egg mixture. On a small plate, mix the sugar and cinnamon and place near the cook top.

In a small pan, melt 1 tbsp of butter over medium high heat. Once butter is melted and begins to bubble rapidly add bread. Let bread sit for 2 minutes before flipping to the other side for another two minutes. Note, depending on the slice/thickness of your brioche this could be a bit more cooking time. As soon as the French toast is done place it on the dish with the cinnamon and sugar. Make sure both sides are evenly coated. Then place on a separate plate. 

To make the mole sauce you will need a double boiler. I used a glass bowl over the boiling water. Take three squares of dark chocolate and melt with 2 tbsp of butter. you can remove the melted chocolate before it's completely melted; the residual heat will melt the chocolate. You can also add in a tablespoon of heavy cream if you have it. This will thin out the mixture. Add two dashes of chipotle pepper powder and two dashes of cinnamon to the chocolate mixture and mix well. Top the French toast slices with the chocolate mixture and serve.