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Recipes: Choux Pastry

The choux bun is traditionally used for afternoon teas or as a sweet, and of course the éclair is the original finger-food. They seem quite hard when taken from the box, but when they've been filled for about 20 minutes they will be as soft as fresh choux. They can either be cut with a sharp knife before filling, or a small hole made in the base using a piping-bag nozzle and then forcing the whipped cream through the hole.

Chocolate Profiteroles

Chocolate Profiterolles
Ingredients (4 portions)

16 Profiteroles

For the crème pâtissière:
500 ml milk
4 egg yolks
125g caster sugar
50g cornstarch
pinch of vanilla sugar

For the chocolate sauce:
125g dark chocolate
100 ml milk
100 ml cream
80g icing sugar

Preparing the crème pâtissière
  1. Mix the cornstarch with 0.1 litre (½ cup) of milk.
  2. Mix the egg yolks in a bowl with the caster sugar, then slowly add the cornstarch/milk mixture a little at a time while continuing to whisk.
  3. Bring to the boil the remaining 0.4 l (2 cups) of milk with a pinch of vanilla sugar, remove from the heat, add the egg/sugar mixture and whisk together thoroughly.
  4. Bring to the boil again for a few seconds while continuing to whisk then remove from the heat, cover and allow to cool.
Preparing the chocolate sauce
  1. Heat the milk, cream and icing sugar together in a pan.
  2. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate while stirring. When the chocolate has melted, pass the mixture through a sieve and keep it warm.
Preparing the Profiteroles
  1. Fill each profiterole through the base with crème pâtissière using a piping bag (make a hole in the profiterole base first, using a piping bag nozzle).
  2. Coat each profiterole with chocolate sauce, and use the remainder to decorate the plate.

Choux Surprise

Choux Surprise
Ingredients (to serve 4)

4 Choux Buns
4 poached pear halves
1 banana
1.5 l cream
15gr icing sugar
3 tablespoons Advocaat
4 scoops vanilla ice cream
Chocolate flakes

For the chocolate sauce:
100 ml milk
75gr caster sugar
75gr dark chocolate

Preparing the filling
Chocolate sauce:
  1. Put the milk and sugar in a pan and bring to the boil
  2. Remove from heat and melt the dark chocolate in it
  3. Pass through a sieve and keep warm
Advocaat cream sauce:
  1. Whisk the cream, sugar and Advocaat to a thick sauce
  2. Peel the banana, cut into slices and mix into half of the cream sauce
Presentation:
  1. Cut the top off each choux with a sharp knife and reserve
  2. Place the choux on the serving plate, and arrange the pear cut like a fan
  3. Fill the choux first with the banana cream sauce, then a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and pour the plain cream sauce on top before replacing the lid of the choux
  4. Decorate the plate with chocolate sauce and chocolate shavings