CREAM PUFFS

Once you’ve mastered the choux pastry, there are so many delicious things you can make with it, such as these vanilla cream puffs — a classic pastry that can be found in every fine pâtissier’s kitchen. You basically bake a ball of choux pastry, butterfly it and fill it with whipped cream or a silky Crème pâtissière. Being baked, they taste a little crispier than a doughnut.

Makes 12

1 quantity Choux pastry

250 g (9 oz) jam of your choice

500 ml (9 fl oz/2 cups) thin (pouring) cream, whipped to soft peaks

icing sugar mixture, to dust

Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F).

Transfer the dough to a piping (icing) bag fitted with a 1.5 cm (⁵/₈ inch) nozzle. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Pipe the dough into 4–5 cm (1½–2 inch) rounds; these will cook to a good size, without being overly large.

Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the trays around and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 150°C (300°F).

The puffs will still be slightly soft at this stage, so pierce each end with a skewer and return to the oven for another 15 minutes to dry.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

When ready to fill the puffs, cut them in half using a sharp serrated knife. Spoon a tablespoon of jam onto the bottom halves. You can put the whipped cream into a piping (icing) bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe a generous rosette of soft whipped cream on top — or simply use a spoon to add a dollop of cream to each. Place the pastry tops on and dust with icing sugar.

These cream puffs are best enjoyed within the hour.