Jen, Author at Little Whisk

How to make Choux Pastry

Choux pastry forms the basis of many French desserts and can be seen in every patisserie window you stroll past, however people can be reluctant to give it a go at home. I think some people tend to get put off by all the different steps and the uncertainty of knowing when it is ready to be baked. I’ve put together this guide to explain the basics and hopefully encourage others to give it a go.

I find the most important thing to do when making choux pastry is to be prepared. If you have everything you need ready before you start, it will make your life much easier.

Start by preheating the oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper and leave to one side. Have a piping bag ready with the correct piping tip. I use a pf16 tip, which is a star tip with 16 points. Using a star tip over a round tip will give you less chance of cracking when the pastry is baking.

A quick internet search will show you lots of different recipes for choux. The simplest recipes will consist of just water, butter, flour and eggs, but in my opinion and after a few choux experiments, adding a few extra ingredients will yield a much better texture and flavour.

The liquid component of my choux recipe is half water and half milk. You can just use all water, however I’ve found adding milk gives a softer texture on the inside of the crisp shell and a richer flavour.

The flour used in the below recipe is bread flour. Bread flour has more protein than normal flour and the extra protein helps to hold the shape of the pastry once it has baked. I’ve used plain flour for choux in the past and it does work, but the final results are usually flatter than when I’ve used bread flour.

I’ve also added a small amount of salt and sugar. If you are planning on making savoury choux pastry, then leave out the sugar. The salt is needed in both sweet and savoury choux as it strengthens the effect of the proteins and helps prevent cracking.

The amount of eggs needed for choux pastry is not something that can be measured until you are actually making it. It all depends on the size of your eggs and how much the mixture is dried out before you add the eggs. The best thing to do is crack the eggs in a separate bowl and give them a light beat with a fork. Then add some egg a bit at a time. It’s most likely your choux will not require a nice even amount of egg and pouring in a small amount of egg at a time will help you get the correct consistency.

For the choux pastry you will need…

70ml semi-skimmed milk
70ml water
70g unsalted butter
10g caster sugar
5g salt
100g bread flour
3-4 eggs

Measure out all you ingredients in advance. The milk, water, sugar and the salt can all go in a large saucepan. Cut up the butter in to small cubes then add to the pan. Weigh out your flour and sieve it in to a separate bowl. Crack three eggs in to a bowl and beat together lightly with a fork. Have a fourth egg ready but don’t crack in to it yet as it may not be needed.

Start gently heating the saucepan on a low heat. The mix needs to eventually come to a boil, however, the sugar and salt needs to dissolve first and the butter needs to be completely melted before the mixture boils. This is why it’s important to cut the butter in to small cubes, as it will melt faster and means less of the liquid will evaporate.

The photo above shows the butter has completely melted. Now turn the heat up and bring the mixture to a boil. Once it is boiling, take off the heat and add the flour all in one go. With a wooden spoon, beat the mixture together until all the flour has been incorporated.

This next step is very important. The choux needs to go back on the heat to dry out. If the mixture is too wet at this stage, it will not rise properly in the oven. Place the saucepan back on a high heat and beat for 1-2 minutes to cook the flour and dry the mixture. It should come away from the sides of the pan and form a rough ball shape. Transfer to a stand mixture or a separate bowl.

Beat the dough for a few minutes to cool the mixture down. If you add the eggs to the mixture when it is too hot, they will cook and your pastry will be ruined, so be patient at this bit. Once the mixture has cooled slightly, add some of your egg and beat until it has been incorporated. Keep adding your egg a bit at a time. After each addition, check the consistency of the choux.

The choux should start to form a glossy paste. There are loads of different methods of testing when the choux is ready. The one I use, is to pick up some dough on a spatula and give it a gentle shake. The choux should fall a little reluctantly and leave a V shape hanging from the spatula.

If you need to use a fourth egg, crack in to a separate bowl and beat lightly with a fork first, then add a bit at a time. You probably won’t need the whole egg so adding a bit at a time will save you from ruining the choux.

Once the choux is ready, immediately transfer to the piping bag and start piping out on to your prepared baking tray. Pipe whatever shapes you like depending on what you plan on baking. I find it easier to hold the piping bag at a 45° angle. I used my choux to make éclairs. This recipe made 12 éclairs.

Bake your choux for about 30 minutes until brown, crisp and risen. Once baked, remove from the oven and make a small hole in the base to allow steam to escape. Leaving out this step will mean the steam stays inside the choux and causes the choux to be soggy. Leave your choux to cool on a wire rack. Once cool they can be filled, glazed and eaten.

Pepper and Red Onion Puff Pastry Tart

For my previous post, I wrote a step by step guide on how to make puff pastry. This resulted in me having a large block of pastry to use, which I am more than happy to do.

This tart has red and yellow peppers, red onion, smoked garlic, mozzarella, green pesto and fresh basil leaves. It’s very easy to put together, the time consuming part is making the puff pastry, so if you are pushed for time, you can always buy ready made pastry.

Pepper and Red Onion Puff Pastry Tart

1 quantity of puff pastry. For my “how to” guide to making puff pastry, click here or alternatively buy a pack of ready made pastry, approximately 375g
2 peppers (sliced)
1 red onion (sliced)
2 cloves of smoked garlic (finely chopped)
1 mozzarella ball
green pesto
a bunch of fresh basil leaves
1 egg

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and add the onion. Fry until they colour slightly and are soft. Add the garlic and fry for a couple more minutes. Leave the onion and garlic to cool in a bowl.

Add a little more oil to the frying pan and fry the peppers until softened. Once cooked, remove from the pan and leave to cool.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to the size of your baking tray. Trim the edges so you have a neat rectangle. Transfer the pastry on to a baking tray lined with baking paper. Using a ruler, score a one inch border around the edge of the tart (don’t cut all the way through). Score marks all the way around the border. Using a fork, prick the pastry inside the border.

Now you can start loading up your toppings. I started with a bottom layer of the onion and garlic. Then spread the peppers over the top and finally dotted blobs of mozzarella all over the top. Keep all the ingredients inside the border of the pastry.

Whisk up the egg in a bowl, then using a small pastry brush, brush a thin layer of egg over the pastry border. This will give it a more golden colour once baked. Be careful not to drip the egg down the side, as this could stop the pastry from rising.

Season with salt and pepper and then bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the pastry is risen and golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Add a few teaspoons of the green pesto randomly over the top and finish with some fresh basil leaves.

I served the tart hot with a simple rocket leaf salad and some vine tomatoes.

How to make Puff Pastry

Puff pastry can easily be bought ready made and even ready rolled, but if you have the time to make it at home it’s worth the effort. The actual work you have to put in to it doesn’t take too long, it’s the chilling time that adds the time on. Homemade puff pastry is surprisingly satisfying to make and tastes so much better than shop bought. Give it a go!

Ingredients

300g plain flour
pinch of salt
150 – 175ml of water
250g butter

First of all, pop a baking tray in the fridge to chill. This will help the dough chill faster and save you time.

In a bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Then slowly add the water. You may not need all of the water, it depends on how dry your flour is, so start by adding 150ml and add a little more if it is too dry. Once the dough comes together into a ball, place on some floured baking paper on to the chilled tray. Flatten the dough in to a disc shape and pop in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.

Whilst the dough is chilling, take your butter and place it between 2 pieces of cling film. With a rolling pin, sharply tap the butter to flatten it in to a rough square shape.

Sprinkle your work surface with flour and place your chilled dough on top. Roll it out slightly, keeping the circular shape as best you can. Don’t roll it too much at this stage, it just needs to be big enough to cover your butter completely.

Place the butter in the middle of the dough and pull the dough in to the centre from the top and then the bottom. Then pull the 2 sides in to the centre. It will look a bit like an envelope. Press the dough down with your fingers to fully enclose the butter.

Sprinkle a little more flour on your work surface and on top of the dough. Roll out the dough in one direction until it’s at least the length of a rolling pin.

Now it’s time to do your first turn. Bring the bottom third of the dough up towards the middle. Then fold the top third down over the top.

Rotate the dough by 90 degrees and flip over. Now do your second turn by rolling out the dough to the length of your rolling pin again and folding your dough just as before. Rotate and flip over the dough again. Roll out the dough slightly (thinner dough will chill more quickly) and pop back on your chilled tray in the fridge. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Once the dough has been chilled, repeat the same rolling and folding process to do two more turns. After the fourth turn, pop back in the fridge to chill again for at least 30 minutes. Once chilled do one more turn and chill again.

At this point your dough is ready. It depends on what you are making, but in general it will need to be rolled out to the width of a pound coin and baked at 200°C for approximately 30-35 minutes.

Strawberry Cake

This vanilla cake is filled with a gorgeous strawberry crème pâtissière, covered with a smooth strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream and finally topped with a white chocolate ganache.

Vanilla Sponge

300g margarine
300g caster sugar
300g self raising flour
5 whole eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan oven). Grease three sandwich tins (diameter 8 inches) with butter or margarine then dust with flour.

In a separate bowl, mix all of the ingredients together until it forms a smooth batter. Split the batter evenly between the three tins, level the tops with a spatula then place in the oven to bake for about 25-30 minutes. The cakes should be risen and golden. Test with a skewer or cocktail stick to confirm the cakes are done. Once done, turn out on to a wire rack to cool.

For the strawberry crème pâtissière you will need…

375g strawberries
3 egg yolks (reserve the whites for the meringue)
75g caster sugar
45g cornflour

Hull the strawberries then cut them in half (or quarter them if they are quite big). Heat the strawberries gently in a saucepan with a tablespoon of water until they are soft. Then blitz in a food processor until you have a smooth purée. Pass the purée through a sieve (to remove any large lumps or seeds) and pour back into the saucepan.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, caster sugar and cornflour.

Heat the strawberry purée until it starts to steam. Pour a small amount into the egg yolk mixture and whisk together. Then pour the egg yolk mixture in to the saucepan with the rest of the purée and whisk together. Turn the heat up to maximum and whisk constantly. Keep moving the whisk at all times otherwise you risk parts of the mix burning on the bottom of the saucepan. Keep whisking until the mixture starts to become thick, then quickly turn out in to a clean bowl. Cover with cling film, with the film touching the surface of the crème pâtissière (this stops it forming a skin on top) and leave to cool.

For the strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream, you will need…

4 egg whites
200g caster sugar
200g unsalted butter (at room temperature and cubed)
4 tbsp strawberry jam

Pour the egg whites and the sugar in to a heat proof bowl, then place on top of a saucepan of simmering water (don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the saucepan). Whisk the egg whites and sugar together over the water. It will start to become thicker and more meringue like. Using a sugar thermometer, check the temperature of the mixture. Keep whisking until the meringue reaches 70℃.

Pour the meringue into a stand mixture and whisk on high until the meringue has cooled down and reached stiff peak stage (can take 5-10 minutes). At this stage, put the mixer on a slow speed and add the butter, one cube at a time. After adding all the butter the mixture may look curdled but keep whisking slowly and it will come back together. Once it has turned in to a light buttercream, add the strawberry jam and fold in.

To construct the cake, I used 2 large piping bags with round nozzles and filled one with the buttercream and one with the crème patissiere.

Place the first cake on a cake board or a cake stand (secure in place with a dollop of the buttercream). Then pipe a ring of the buttercream around the outer edge of the cake. Then starting from the centre of the cake, pipe the crème pâtissière in an even spiral until you reach the buttercream. This outer ring of buttercream will secure the crème pâtissière inside the cake and stop it from leaking out. Place the next cake on top and repeat the process. Then place the final cake on top and spread the remaining buttercream on the top and around the cake.

Using a spatula or scraper, smooth the top and the sides of the cake. Then pop in the fridge to allow the buttercream to firm up.

White Chocolate Ganache

200g white chocolate
150ml of double cream

Chop up the chocolate and place in a bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan until it’s steaming, then pour over the chocolate. Leave for a couple of minutes and then gently whisk the two together.

Leave to cool for a few minutes. As it cools, it will thicken, making it easier to drizzle on to the cake. You can check when it is ready to drizzle by taking a small amount of the ganache and slowly pouring it over the back of the cake. If it runs down the side too quickly, leave it a little longer. The ganache is ready when it slowly drips down the side and stops about mid way down the cake.

I use a teaspoon to gently drizzle the ganache over the sides of the cake, then pour the remainder on top and use a spatula to smooth over. Then I decorated with white chocolate studded with raspberry pieces and strawberries.

Peanut Butter Meringue Tarts

These peanut butter tarts have a sweet pastry base, a delicious peanut butter and chocolate filling and are piled high with light Italian meringue, which is then torched for a crispy outer shell and soft marshmallowy centre.

For the tarts, I used pastry rings with a 10cm diameter. You could also use Yorkshire pudding tins or just make one large pastry base.

Sweet Pastry

200g plain flour
100g unsalted butter
50g caster sugar
3 egg yolks (reserve the egg whites for the meringue)

Weigh out the flour, butter and sugar in to a bowl. Use your fingers to rub the ingredients together until they resemble breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and mix together until it forms a smooth dough. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 10 minutes.

Whilst the dough is chilling, grease your dough rings with butter (be generous as the butter is needed for the pastry to stick to the sides). Line a baking tray with baking paper and place the rings on ready.

Once the pastry has chilled, roll it out until its about the thickness of a pound coin. Use a cutter that is larger than your tart rings to cut out circles of dough. Place the dough inside the tart ring and press it evenly in to the bottom and the sides. If you haven’t put enough butter on, the pastry won’t stick to the sides – if this happens, just remove the pastry and grease the tart ring with more butter. Use a sharp knife to remove the excess pastry from the top of the ring. Repeat for the remaining 3 rings, then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan oven).

Take out of the fridge and prick the bottom of the tart rings with a fork. Then take some greaseproof paper and line the tarts with the paper (this works better if you scrumple it up first). Then fill generously with baking beans or rice. Place in the oven to bake for about 12 minutes. Then remove the paper and the beans and bake the empty tartlets for a further 4-6 minutes until they have dried out and are fully baked. Leave to cool fully in the rings.

For the chocolate and peanut butter filling…

150g milk chocolate
150g double cream
4 tbsp smooth peanut butter
30g unsalted butter

Break up the chocolate in to a bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan until it is hot and steaming, pour over the chocolate and leave for a couple of minutes so the chocolate starts to melt. Start to whisk the chocolate cream until it becomes a smooth mixture. Add the peanut butter and the butter and whisk until smooth.

Spoon the mixture evenly in to the cooled pastry tarts. Tap lightly on the work surface to remove any air bubbles, then pop in the fridge to set.

Italian Meringue

3 egg whites
200g caster sugar
5 tbsp water

Place the egg whites ready in a mixer with a whisk attachment. In a saucepan, start to gently heat the sugar and water mixture. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn up the heat and pop your sugar thermometer in. When the mixture reaches 115°C, start whisking up the egg whites until they reach the soft peak stage. When the sugar reaches 118°C, pour carefully into the egg whites (keep the mixer whisking on a low speed). Then turn up to high speed and whisk until the mixture is stiff, glossy and has cooled down (about 10 minutes).

With a small palette knife, spread a small amount of meringue evenly over each tart, right to the edge of the pastry. This creates a neater edge for the tarts.

Then dollop the remaining meringue on top of each tart. Use a palette knife to spread about over the top and create a bit of texture.

Now it’s time to blowtorch! If you don’t have one, it can be done under the grill but it will be more difficult to control. Torch the meringue as much or as little as you like and they are ready to eat!