Tequenos

Instructions

1. 1 Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and rub them into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible.
2. 2 Add the beaten egg and cold milk to the flour mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for three to four minutes until smooth and cohesive.
3. 3 Wrap the dough tightly in cling film and refrigerate for at least thirty minutes. This resting period allows the gluten to relax and the butter to firm up, making the dough much easier to roll and wrap around the cheese.
4. 4 Cut the cheese block into sticks approximately eight centimetres long and one centimetre thick. Pat each stick thoroughly dry with paper towels, as any surface moisture will cause the oil to splatter during frying.
5. 5 Roll out the chilled dough on a floured surface to about three millimetres thick, then cut into long strips about two centimetres wide. Wrap each cheese stick in a spiral pattern with one strip, overlapping edges slightly and sealing both ends.
6. 6 Pour vegetable oil into a deep, heavy-bottomed pot to a depth of about six centimetres and heat to one hundred and eighty degrees Celsius. Test the temperature by dropping in a small piece of dough, which should sizzle and float immediately.
7. 7 Fry the tequeños in small batches of three or four at a time, turning them occasionally with tongs, for two to three minutes until they are evenly golden brown on all sides and the cheese inside has just begun to melt.
8. 8 Remove the tequeños with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on a plate lined with paper towels. Serve immediately while the exterior is still crispy and the cheese is molten inside, alongside guasacaca sauce or garlic aioli for dipping.