Choux Choux

Greer - Try Something New

In my fantasies - or at least one of them - I'm a pastry chef. And a baker. And perhaps a chocolatier. Making the sweet stuff all day long. Pies and tarts and cakes and little French patisserie-type delights. I put it into practice as often as I can. I'm good like that. Dedicated.

And for shame...until today I have never made choux pastry, much less a profiterole.  And until today I didn't realise how bloody easy it is to do! By far the easiest type of pastry I've ever made. There was a bit of beating involved at the start, which was a nice change from all that 'don't overwork it' stuff required with shortcrust pastry. And once baked, the little puffs puffed up beautifully, even sounding hollow once tapped, just as the recipe demanded. They were deliciously moist and chewy to eat. But of course, a plain choux puff is not the most exciting thing, so what was needed was a batch of creme patissiere (or custard, for us simple folk) and some melted chocolate for dipping.

Et voila - filled profiteroles. Someone stop me, please, or there might just be a croquembouche on my kitchen bench by tomorrow morning!