Choux buns with chocolate and spiced orange cream
Choux Buns
Craquelin
25g plain flour
25g castor sugar
20g soft butter
Method
Rub together to a smooth paste. Place on a sheet of parchment in a sausage shape. Top with another piece of parchment and roll as thinly as you can. Place in freezer for 30 minutes.
Choux pastry
60g diced butter
120ml water
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch salt
40g plain flour
40g strong bread flour
2 eggs
Method
Set the oven to 180oc and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Place the water and butter in a saucepan and simmer until butter has melted. Add the salt, sugar and flours and beat to a smooth paste over the heat for a minute. Cool the mixture. Beat in the eggs one at a time – the paste needs to be thick and pipable.
Place mixture in a piping bag and pipe out 8 pieces.
Remove craquelin from freezer and cut out pieces that fit onto the top of the pastry. Place them on the choux buns and bake for 30 minutes.
Turn the oven off and allow to cool in the oven.
Chocolate and spiced orange cream
Zest and juice of an orange
75g sugar
350ml double cream
100g dark chocolate chopped
A teaspoon of mixed spice
Method
Boil the sugar with the zest and juice until the sugar has dissolved.
Add 100ml of the cream and bring to boil. Add the chocolate and remove from heat – allow to melt.
Whip the remaining cream and fold in the chocolate orange mixture.
Place in a piping bag.
Split the side of the buns and pipe in the mixture.
Serve
