HOW TO MAKE BASIC CHOUX PASTRY

WHAT’S so good about choux is that it doesn’t call for any particular pastry skills (like lightness of hand or careful rolling). Of course, some people make hard work of it by recommending that it always has to be piped with piping bags. But personally – quite apart from the fact that piping requires experience and a steady hand — I find it a wasteful method; and I’m convinced that a freshly baked golden profiterole looks so much crustier if it’s spooned, rather than piped, onto a baking sheet. MY OWN ADVICE ON CHOUX PASTRY CAN BE SUMMARISED AS FOLLOWS: 1) Try to use strong plain flour, which (with its higher gluten content) gives crisper results than ordinary soft plain flour. 2) Raising the oven temperature during the cooking, I have found, gives really crisp, well-risen choux. 3) Choux pastry doesn’t keep well, and it is best eaten as soon as possible. It will stay crisp for up to 4 hours, though I prefer to have mine ready just 2 hours before it is needed. 4) Fillings, if put in too far in advance, make the pastry soggy. So it is advisable to fill the cakes, buns or whatever as near as possible to the time they are to be eaten. 150ml (5fl oz) cold water 50g (2oz) butter, cut into small pieces 60g (2½oz) strong plain flour 1 tsp sugar (only for sweet choux pastry, otherwise use a seasoning of salt and pepper)

2 large eggs, well beaten PRE-HEAT the oven to 200c/400f/ gas 6. First of all, put the water in a medium-sized saucepan together with the pieces of butter, and leave on one side while you weigh out the flour. As you are going to need to ‘shoot’ the flour quickly into the water and melted butter, fold a sheet of greaseproof paper to make a crease, then open it up again. Sift the flour straight onto the square of greaseproof. If the end product is going to be sweet, add the sugar to the flour; if it is to be savoury, season the flour well with salt and pepper instead. Next, place the saucepan of water and butter over a moderate heat, and stir with a wooden spoon. As soon as the butter has melted and the mixture comes up to the boil, turn off the heat immediately as too much boiling will evaporate some of the water, then tip the flour in – all in one go – with one hand, while you beat the mixture vigorously with the other (you can do this with a wooden spoon, though an electric hand whisk will save you lots of energy). Beat until you have a smooth ball of paste that has left the sides of the saucepan clean (this will probably take less than a minute). Then beat the beaten eggs in — a little at a time and mixing each addition in thoroughly before adding the next — until you have a smooth, glossy paste. At this stage, grease two baking sheets lightly, then hold each one under cold running water for a few seconds, and tap sharply to get rid of excess moisture (this will help create a steamy atmosphere, which in turn helps the pastry to rise). Your choux pastry is then ready to make the profiteroles above – or any recipe that calls for basic choux pastry.