Now we're all spending so much time at home, baking is a lovely pastime that the whole family can enjoy. How about trying this recipe for chouxnuts with Chantilly cream filling from star baker Juliet Sear? Juliet told HELLO!: "I love these light and airy pastries…they are similar to an éclair but by piping them in a circle, they look like doughnuts. So cute! They are so pretty when decorated with edible flowers."
JULIET SEAR'S CHOUXNUTS
Equipment needed: baking tray/s, circle for drawing around (I used a few cookie cutters), large plastic piping bag
INGREDIENTS
For the choux pastry:
- 225g water
- 110g butter
- 130g plain flour
- 225g free-range egg
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tbs caster sugar
For the Chantilly cream
- 300 ml double cream
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
For the fondant icing topping
- 300g fondant icing sugar
- Water and food colouring of your choice (I used a cream colour)
- Edible flowers of your choice
Photo: Dan O'Malley
Bake these fabulous chouxnuts for the family
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INSTRUCTIONS
For the choux pastry
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 190℃ and prepare two baking trays with parchment paper.
Step 2
In a pan, heat the water, sugar, salt and butter until completely melted. Add the flour and beat well on the heat for 4-5 mins until the dough comes away from the edges of the pan easily.
Step 3
Transfer the dough into a bowl and leave to cool for 2-3 mins.
Step 4
Slowly add the egg bit-by-bit beating well until the choux is the right consistency. It should be stiff but when you spoon it up in the air it should easily drop off the spoon.
Step 5
Put the choux paste into a piping bag with a medium to large round nozzle. Draw around a circular cutter (size of your choice, I use a 6cm don’t go too big as they will puff up) onto the parchment paper, flip the paper over and then pipe the circles of choux.
Step 6
Place the trays into the oven; spray some water onto the base of the oven before shutting the door (this creates a steamy environment in the oven which helps the pastry to rise). Bake for 25-35 mins; do not open the door of the oven until at least 25 mins into baking as the chouxnuts with collapse.
Step 7
Transfer the chouxnuts to a wire rack to cool.
For the cream filling
Step 1
In a bowl, whisk 300ml of double cream with the icing sugar vanilla to soft peak stage, taking care not to over whip.
Step 2
Poke a hole into the base of your chouxnuts with a small knife and then pipe in the cream until you can feel that the chouxnuts are full. You can feel them getting heavy in your hand. Leave the chouxnuts to one side.
For the fondant
Step 1
To make the fondant, weigh 300g fondant icing sugar and slowly add water 1 tsp. at a time until you have a thick icing consistency. (You can colour the icing at this stage if you want to).
Step 2
Using a piping bag, pipe a ring onto the chouxnuts and tap them on the surface to help the icing settle. Then decorate with edible flowers of your choice.
These are best eaten fresh but will keep in the fridge for 2 days, but the pastry will lose its crispness.
Visit julietsear.co.uk for more delicious recipes.