There’s so much that you’re not supposed to do when making choux: don’t add the flour too slowly, don’t add the egg too fast, don’t add too much of this or too little of that, don’t open the oven door ... So many don’ts make me anxious and I’m not convinced that choux is the goldilocks it’s made out to be.
I’d rather consider choux in less authoritarian terms: as long as you stay true to the spirit to the recipe and add the flour, milk, butter and egg in more or less the right proportions, you’ll be fine. There are only these non-negotiables as far as I’m concerned: cook the choux paste on the hob for a good few minutes while you stir it, giving it a chance to dry out; whisk the eggs in really thoroughly to break up any clumps; try to give the buns a good uninterrupted stint in a hot oven to let the steam puff out those characteristic bubbles and allow the shell to set.
But it’s only pastry.
Classic chocolate eclairs
These simple chocolate eclairs are nothing new, but that doesn’t mean they’re not special: baked well, they’re crisp, soft, light and decadent all at once.
Makes 8
50g salted butter
80ml milk
80ml water
60g plain flour
2 large eggs
For the filling
300g frozen fruit (I used raspberries and blackberries)
100g caster sugar
300ml double cream
For the glaze
100g dark chocolate
100ml double cream
2 tbsp runny honey
1 Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment.
2 Combine the butter, milk and water in a pan over a low heat and cook until the butter has melted. Don’t let the mixture boil. As soon as the butter has melted and the liquid is scalding hot, add the flour all at once and immediately beat everything together. Cook the paste over a medium heat, beating it constantly, for 3-5 minutes. Leave to cool for 5 minutes.
3 Beat the eggs lightly together then add to the flour paste a little at a time, whisking thoroughly between each addition. Once all the egg has been added, the choux mixture should be golden, glossy and just thick enough to hold its shape when piped.
4 Spoon the choux dough into a piping bag with a 2cm nozzle and pipe eight 10cm lines of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet.
5 Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn the temperature down to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and cook for a further 15 minutes, until a rich golden brown and firm to the touch. Once they’re baked, transfer the buns to a wire rack, cut each completely in half along its middle and leave the top and bottom halves, cut side facing up, to cool completely.
6 For the filling, heat the frozen fruit with half the sugar until the fruit is softened and juicy. Whisk the remaining 50g sugar with the double cream until the cream holds soft peaks.
7 For the chocolate glaze, chop the chocolate into small chunks and heat it, with the double cream, in a bowl set over a pan of hot water. Once the chocolate has completely melted into the cream, stir in the honey.
8 To assemble, spoon a little of the fruit into each of the lower halves of the choux buns. Top with cream (pipe it for neatness). Dip the bun tops in the warm chocolate glaze then place gently on top of the filled bottoms. Serve soon after assembling.
Dairy-free toffee apple choux doughnuts
These are dairy-free, forgoing the usual butter and milk in favour of soy or nut milks and a little olive oil. You needn’t worry that the taste will suffer, though: I found that these actually rose better than “normal” choux, and the flavour is great. You can, of course, use dairy ice-cream if you’re not fussy about keeping these milk-free, and swap in butter for the olive oil in the caramelised apples.
Makes 8
200ml unsweetened dairy-free milk
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp caster sugar
A pinch of salt
80g plain flour
3 large eggs
For the caramelised apple
6 cox or braeburn apples
3 tbsp light olive oil
75g soft light brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
500ml vanilla dairy-free ice-cream
Icing sugar, to top
1 Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7 and line a large baking tray with baking parchment.
2 To make the choux doughnuts, heat the dairy-free milk with the olive oil, sugar and salt over a low heat until scalding hot. Add the flour and immediately whisk together to fully combine. Keeping the pan over a medium-low heat, beat the flour mixture for 5 minutes, letting it thicken to a paste-like consistency. Once it’s ready, remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes or so.
3 Beat the eggs together then very gradually add them to the flour paste while you whisk. You probably won’t need all of the beaten egg – just keep adding it until the mixture becomes the right consistency. You’re looking for a thick, glossy paste that won’t spread limply across the baking tray, but which is just slack enough to be piped. Once the choux is ready, you can shape the buns.
4 Pipe the choux mixture on to the prepared baking tray – pipe into eight doughnut shapes. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes then reduce the temperature to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Cook for a further 15 minutes at this cooler temperature, then remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes before halving with a sharp serrated knife across their bellies. Leave to cool completely, cut sides up, on a wire rack.
5 To make the caramelised apples, peel and core the apples, then slice into wedges no thicker than 1cm at their widest edge. Heat the oil over a medium-low heat in a frying pan, then cook the apples for 8-10 minutes, turning them halfway. Add the sugar and cinnamon to the slightly softened fruit and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
6 To assemble, dollop spoonfuls (quenelles, if you’re feeling fancy) of the ice-cream in a circle on the bottom half of each choux doughnut. Top with the caramelised apple slices and sandwich with the upper halves of the choux buns. Dust with icing sugar and devour straight away.
