Letters on Lunches: Choux for the Kids...

… And for the adults also!

I was in the Bean an Ti café a few weeks for a coffee and noticed a chocolate & strawberry choux ring. Having never made choux pastry before, I decided it was about time I tried and what would be nicer to make than a chocolate & strawberry choux ring? Now I know strawberries aren’t in season and everyone says they have to travel thousands of miles to get here in the Winter and completely lose their flavour by the time they do, but I beg to differ! I called into my local supermarket last night and spotted strawberries from Holland. They weren’t of the variety sold by the sides of the road in this country in Summer time but they did pack a bit of punch and weren’t those big fat strawberries that look so appealing but leave you feeling cheated afterwards as the flavour is so lacklustre. Just try and be mindful about where the stuff is coming from & always choose the variety that's closest to home!

I normally don’t mind trying out new recipes but choux has always been a bit of a mystery so I studied the recipe in Darina Allen’s Ballymaloe Cookery Course and decided to give that a go; I won’t say I was cocky but I definitely didn’t treat it with the respect it deserved so the first batch wound up an eggy mess in the bottom of the bin. Just so you know, before adding in the first egg, make sure the pan has cooled down to a point where you can comfortably touch your hand against the side. Fail to do so at your peril!

Choux Ring

with chocolate & strawberries

Serves 2 very greedy people or 6 normal people

What You Need

5oz strong white flour

8 fl oz water

4 oz butter in chunks

Pinch of salt

5 eggs

A large carton of whipped cream (not the stuff from a can)

300g strawberries or raspberries

250g of dark chocolate

What You Do

Lightly beat one of the eggs & leave it to the side
Sift the flour and salt on to a plate
Add water and butter to a sauce pan, heat and bring to a rolling boil, making sure the butter melts completely
Immediately, when the water comes to the boil, take it off the heat and add the flour. Mix well with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together in a ball and put the pan on the heat again for about 30 seconds until it furs the bottom of the pan (I said furs not burns – it’s like a skin on the bottom of the pan)
Remove from the heat and allow the pan to cool until you can touch the sides
Pre heat the oven to 220C
Add the eggs one at a time to the dough, mix thoroughly and don’t add the next until the last is fully incorporated into the mixture
Add the beaten egg a little at a time until the mixture is glossy but still thick, you may not need it all and if you add too much the pastry will become too wet & won’t hold it’s shape so be very light-handed at this stage
Fill your piping bag with the mixture and pipe a ring on to a large baking tray covered with greaseproof paper (I got a ring & 5 large éclairs out of this quantity)
Place in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 200C and cook for a further 25 minutes. Then cut a hole in the sides of each pastry to let the steam out and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Remove to a wire rack to cool and once cool, assemble by filling with cream & strawberries and pouring melted chocolate on the top

Comments

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Oh Sarah that looks delicious - I wish I had the time to call in last night for a taster!
Looks like you have mastered the pastry. As you know I take the lazy way out and I don't pipe the pastry when I make my choux buns. I'll give it a go next time!

Posted by: Maeve | December 19, 2007 at 11:38 AM