Strawberry White Chocolate Choux Buns Food

STRAWBERRY & WHITE CHOCOLATE CHOUX BUNS

Steps:

• Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Heat oven to 200C, 180C fan gas 6. Heat the butter in a nonstick pan with 125ml water until melted. Increase the heat until boiling then remove from the heat and quickly beat in the flour until the mixture comes together as a ball. Cool 5 mins then beat the eggs with 1 tbsp water then beat into the pastry a little as a time to make a thick glossy mix.
• Spoon onto the baking tray in 8 equal size blobs then add the almonds if using poking them into the mixture. Bake for 25-30 mins until well risen and golden. Take from the oven make a slash in the sides and return to the oven for 5 mins more to dry out.
• While baking make the filling. Mix the custard powder with a little of the milk then, with the remaining milk and vanilla put in a non stick pan and cook, stirring over the heat until thickened. Stand for 5 mins then beat in the yogurt and set aside to cool, stirring frequently to make sure a skin doesn't form. When cold, stir in the grated chocolate.
• Reserve 1 tbsp of the custard mix then use the rest to fill the buns. Distribute all but 8 halves of strawberries between the buns, then blob a little of the remaining custard filling on top and add the reserved strawberries. Lightly dust with the icing sugar before serving if you like.

RASPBERRY, WHITE CHOCOLATE & PISTACHIO PROFITEROLES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. To make the choux pastry, sift the flour onto a large sheet of baking parchment. This will stop lumps of flour forming in the dough. Put the butter, milk, water, sugar and salt in a pan, and heat gently until the butter has completely melted. Only once the butter has melted, increase the heat and bring the liquid to the boil. When bubbling, remove quickly from the heat and tip in the flour all at once. Immediately beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a dough that leaves the side of the pan clean. Return to a low heat, stirring, for 1 min. Remove from the heat. Cool for 3 mins. Gradually add the beaten egg to the dough, beating well between each addition, until the dough is smooth and glossy.
• Line a large flat baking sheet with baking parchment. Pipe or spoon about 24 balls of dough over the baking sheet, allowing space between each for rising. Bake for 20-25 mins until the profiteroles are puffed and golden. Remove the profiteroles from the oven and quickly poke a hole in the bottom of each to let out the steam, then return to the oven for 5 mins. Cool on a wire rack.
• If using frozen raspberries for the filling, defrost in the microwave on Low for 4-5 mins. Tip the raspberries, icing sugar and lemon juice into a food processor or mini blender and blitz until smooth. Press through a sieve into a bowl.
• Whip the cream until stiff, then fold in 4 tbsp of the raspberry sauce. Spoon the filling into a piping bag fitted with a nozzle a little smaller than the holes you made in the profiteroles. Or use a plastic food bag and snip off the tip of a corner. Poke into each hole in turn, and pipe in the filling until full. The profiteroles should be fully cool before you do this.
• Break up the chocolate into a small bowl, then either melt in the microwave on Low for 1½-2 mins, stirring halfway through, or over a pan of simmering water. Leave to cool briefly until slightly thickened.
• Carefully spoon the melted chocolate over each filled profiterole and sprinkle with pistachios. Leave to set. To serve, drizzle the remaining raspberry sauce over 6 serving plates and top each with 4 profiteroles, or simply serve the sauce in a bowl alongside for drizzling over.

ECLAIRS

Steps:

• First, make the choux pastry. Put the butter in a saucepan with 450ml water. Sieve the flour into a large bowl and set aside. Bring the butter and water to a fast boil, simmer until the butter has melted, then tip in the flour and beat like mad with a wooden spoon until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and is lump-free. Tip into the bowl and spread the thick paste up the sides a little to help it cool quickly, then leave for 10 mins.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6 and cut two pieces of baking parchment to fit two baking sheets. Using a ruler and pen, mark 10 lines about 12cm long over each piece, leaving plenty of space between the lines, then flip the parchment over. Fit a piping bag with a large round piping nozzle, about 1.5cm wide.
• When the flour paste has cooled but is not cold, start adding the egg, bit by bit, beating well between each addition until you have a smooth batter which will reluctantly drop off the end of your spoon (you can do this in a freestanding mixer if you have one). You may not need to use all the egg, so add it slowly. Transfer to your piping bag and use a little of the mixture to stick the parchment to your trays.
• Pipe the choux onto the baking sheet, using the lines as a guide. Pipe slowly so the eclairs aren't too skinny - each one should be about 2.5cm wide x 12cm long. Bake for 35-40 mins, swapping the trays around for the final 10 mins. The choux should be puffed, golden and sound hollow when tapped. You may wish to sacrifice one eclair to make sure the inside is completely dried out - if it's still moist, the eclair will sink when cooling. Once baked, leave to cool completely. (Can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container, reheat in the oven for 5-10 mins to crisp up before filling.) Split each eclair through the middle with a serrated knife.
• Now, make the crème pâtissière. Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan. Heat until just simmering, then remove from the heat. Meanwhile, tip the egg yolks into a bowl and add the sugar and cornflour, whisking together until smooth. Pour over the milk mixture, mix, then pour back into the saucepan. Cook over a medium heat for 5-8 mins until the crème pâtissière thickens to a thick custard consistency. Sieve into a jug, cover the surface with cling film and chill for at least 3 hrs, or up to 3 days.
• To fill and glaze your eclairs, choose one of our flavours - raspberry & cardamom, lemon & passion fruit, salted caramel & popcorn or elderflower & meringue.For more help, see our how to make choux pastry and eclairs video.