Discussion
Use sifted strong plain flour and make sure the choux is stiff (with eggs), not wet and lose. Preheat your oven and put a tray in to bottom you can fill it with boiling water (fresh front the kettle) as you put the pastry in. Take the water tray out half way though cooking.
Take out onto a rack too cool quickly, pierce a whole in the bottom asap to let the steam out. If you need to return to a medium with the door open oven to dry out.
Once they are dry and crisp you can relax. Freeze them as they are or fill with whatever you like. Dip in chocolate and fill Cafe creme?
Take out onto a rack too cool quickly, pierce a whole in the bottom asap to let the steam out. If you need to return to a medium with the door open oven to dry out.
Once they are dry and crisp you can relax. Freeze them as they are or fill with whatever you like. Dip in chocolate and fill Cafe creme?
Thanks chaps. Interesting tip about the water. I have a fan oven and I think the temp is all over the place so should be interesting.
I've been reading a few recipes and they talk about piping them - one thing is - I don't have a piping bag at 1/2" nozzle - will it work just using a teaspoon to "dollop" mixture on to the baking sheet? (suggestion is wet finger to flatten any peak on top to prevent burning)
I've been reading a few recipes and they talk about piping them - one thing is - I don't have a piping bag at 1/2" nozzle - will it work just using a teaspoon to "dollop" mixture on to the baking sheet? (suggestion is wet finger to flatten any peak on top to prevent burning)
mattdaniels said:
Thanks chaps. Interesting tip about the water. I have a fan oven and I think the temp is all over the place so should be interesting.
I've been reading a few recipes and they talk about piping them - one thing is - I don't have a piping bag at 1/2" nozzle - will it work just using a teaspoon to "dollop" mixture on to the baking sheet? (suggestion is wet finger to flatten any peak on top to prevent burning)
A dollop is as good as a piped swirl. And yes, take any peaks or edges off with a wet finger.I've been reading a few recipes and they talk about piping them - one thing is - I don't have a piping bag at 1/2" nozzle - will it work just using a teaspoon to "dollop" mixture on to the baking sheet? (suggestion is wet finger to flatten any peak on top to prevent burning)
Made a Gateau St Honore yesterday as it's the other half's favorite. Will post a pic later. The choux buns turned out really well and as I don't make them that often I can only deduce that there's a fair bit of leeway in making the paste and doing the baking before it all goes horribly wrong. Either that or I've just been lucky!
If you're not sure about the baking part, make more paste than you need and do 1 or 2 trial bakes first.
I would say that whatever recipe you use, don't stick rigidly to the stated oven temps/times. You want to keep your eye on them during the first part of the bake (10mins at 220 C for me) and when they are the right colour, you can turn the oven down quite a long way and keep them in for 15-25 minutes to get the insides hollow and dry without over-colouring the outsides. If you pipe more than you need, just pop one out every few minutes and cut it in half to see how they're doing.
I wouldn't try filling with ice cream myself as I think it's going to be way too tricky to get it to the correct consistency for piping without it melting too much and I think the buns themselves could become a bit soggy.
As suggested, make some creme pat. and then you can add all sorts of things to it (chocolate, coffee, orange/rose water, lemon, caramel etc.) before filling the buns.
Dipping the tops of the buns in caramelised sugar is also a nice alternative to chocolate.
If you're not sure about the baking part, make more paste than you need and do 1 or 2 trial bakes first.
I would say that whatever recipe you use, don't stick rigidly to the stated oven temps/times. You want to keep your eye on them during the first part of the bake (10mins at 220 C for me) and when they are the right colour, you can turn the oven down quite a long way and keep them in for 15-25 minutes to get the insides hollow and dry without over-colouring the outsides. If you pipe more than you need, just pop one out every few minutes and cut it in half to see how they're doing.
I wouldn't try filling with ice cream myself as I think it's going to be way too tricky to get it to the correct consistency for piping without it melting too much and I think the buns themselves could become a bit soggy.
As suggested, make some creme pat. and then you can add all sorts of things to it (chocolate, coffee, orange/rose water, lemon, caramel etc.) before filling the buns.
Dipping the tops of the buns in caramelised sugar is also a nice alternative to chocolate.
The filling i used is was 2 eggs seperate,4oz caster,40g plain flour,285ml milk,20g butter,1 teaspoon vanilla essence, 2 tsb of grand marnier.
pinch of salt.
beat the egg yokes with 3oz of sugar till pale
beat in the flour and a little of the milk.
bring the rest of the milk to boil in a pan.
pour slowly onto the egg mixture,beating.
return to the pan ans stir over a medium heat,until thick and boiling,lower heat for 1-2 mins,stirring all the time.
remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.
beat egg whites with the salt till fluffy, spoon in a large spoon of egg white and the rest of the sugar, add the grand marnier fold in the rest of the egg whites and leave to cool.
either pipe into puffs or cut them and spoon in.
Ray
pinch of salt.
beat the egg yokes with 3oz of sugar till pale
beat in the flour and a little of the milk.
bring the rest of the milk to boil in a pan.
pour slowly onto the egg mixture,beating.
return to the pan ans stir over a medium heat,until thick and boiling,lower heat for 1-2 mins,stirring all the time.
remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.
beat egg whites with the salt till fluffy, spoon in a large spoon of egg white and the rest of the sugar, add the grand marnier fold in the rest of the egg whites and leave to cool.
either pipe into puffs or cut them and spoon in.
Ray
Look good. I pipe little mounds approx. 25mm in diameter and the buns puff up to about 50mm.
Important to try and get them a consistent size and also flatten them down a bit with the back of a spoon or a wet finger so you end up with a little dome shape of paste on the baking sheet.
Also, I egg/milk wash them to give them a bit of colour on the top.
I've still got a bit of choux paste left in a piping bag in the fridge and I might just have to make a few more tonight for pudding!!!
Important to try and get them a consistent size and also flatten them down a bit with the back of a spoon or a wet finger so you end up with a little dome shape of paste on the baking sheet.
Also, I egg/milk wash them to give them a bit of colour on the top.
I've still got a bit of choux paste left in a piping bag in the fridge and I might just have to make a few more tonight for pudding!!!
mattdaniels said:
I have no piping bag or nozzles 
Have chopped them in half and stuffed with vanilla ice cream. I've got some chocolate ganache in a squirty bottle so will do some drizzling after the main event (beef fillet!)
I wouldn't worry too much about piping bags or nozzles. As long as they taste yummy, then job done!Have chopped them in half and stuffed with vanilla ice cream. I've got some chocolate ganache in a squirty bottle so will do some drizzling after the main event (beef fillet!)
Lets face it, we put in in many hours of work to create something which usually is only going to be eaten in a few minutes by us and our loved-ones. The finer points of presentation should be left to Michelin starred restaurants and we should just concentrate on getting the cooking and taste right.
Choux buns chopped in half, stuffed with ice cream and drizzled with chocolate ganache is fine by me
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