Choux a la creme

Choux pastry is a little piece of magic. Try this delicious recipe from Sev at Creme de la Creme to bring some French sparkle to your table.

By Séverine Rutherford (Creme de la Creme)

Ingredients

For the choux paste:

60ml water
60ml milk
55g butter
1g of salt
1tsp of sugar
70g plain flour
125g eggs (about 2 medium eggs)

For the chocolate chantilly:

400ml double cream
150g dark chocolate

The recipe

Bring the milk, water, butter, salt and sugar to a strong simmer in a saucepan.
Take the pot off the heat and add the flour all at once.
Once the flour is incorporated, the pot should be returned back to the stove until the dough reaches 75 degrees (about 2 minutes). You will see a thin layer at the bottom of the pan.
Transfer the dough to a bowl. Use a hand mixer and mix the dough to release the steam and let it cool down to about 50 degrees.
Add half of the lightly-beaten eggs.
Once the first half is incorporated, the rest is added slowly and whisk vigorously with the spatula. (If you use your mixer you should use the paddle, not the whisk).
Stop adding the eggs when you get this consistency below:

This is the key to the success of the recipe: the consistency! It needs to be supple but not runny, therefore you might need to use more or less egg mixture than the recipe states (as it all depends on the size of the eggs and the temperature of the batter when you will add the eggs).

Prepare a baking sheet by dabbing a bit of choux between the paper and the baking tray at each corner to secure the paper to the tray.
Transfer the choux pastry to a piping bag fitted with a star tip(1/2 inch in diameter ). The star tip helps to get a choux that does not crack during the baking time.
Bake in a normal oven (not a fan!!!! this is very important, it is probably the only patisserie that does not use a fan oven!!!) at 180 degrees for about 30 min.

Chocolate Chantilly:

Bring 200ml of double cream to a simmer. Pour onto the dark chocolate and use the hand mixer until completely mixed.
Add the rest of the double cream (200ml), and leave in the fridge overnight.
The day after, whip up to soft peaks.
Fill the choux with the cream, add some chocolate stars at the top and sprinkle with some icing sugar.

For more detailed instructions (and the science behind!) choux pasty, visit the Creme de la Creme website.

http://www.cremedelacremenewcastle.co.uk/uncategorised/choux-pastry-recipe-les-chouquettes

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