Festive Ways With Pastry

Make your own pastry or use frozen – all these dishes are showstoppers!

Chocolate Pistachio Christmas Garland

INGREDIENTS (Serves 10-12) ◆ 150g plain flour ◆ 120g butter, chopped ◆ 4 medium eggs, beaten ◆ 330g white chocolate ◆ 400ml double cream ◆ 400g ready-to-roll white icing ◆ 1tsp natural almond extract ◆ Green food colour gel ◆ 50g milk chocolate ◆ 15g chopped pistachio nuts ◆ Icing leaves, berries and snowflakes,

and edible gold glitter to decorate

1 Preheat oven to 220°C (200°C fan oven, gas 7). Line 2 large baking trays with parchment. Sift flour into a small bowl. Put 300ml water in a saucepan, add butter and heat until boiling.

2 Remove from the heat and immediately add flour. Beat well until the mixture forms a smooth ball. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and cool for 10min. Gradually whisk in the eggs to form a pipeable mixture.

3 Spoon into to a large piping bag with a 1cm diameter plain nozzle and pipe 36 x 4cm diameter mounds, about 5cm apart on the trays. Bake for 10min, reduce the heat to 190°C (170°C fan oven, gas 5) and cook for 20-25min more until puffed up and crisp. Carefully puncture a 3cm wide slit in the side of each bun and cool.

4 Break up white chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Place over a saucepan of barely simmering water to melt. Cool for 10min.

5 Whip the cream until just peaking. Add melted chocolate and whisk until firm enough to pipe. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm diameter plain nozzle. Pipe sufficient cream into each choux bun to fill them.

6 Chop the white icing and put in a saucepan with 4tsp water. Heat gently until melted. Stir in the almond extract and green colouring. Spread neatly over the top of each bun – gently reheat the green icing if it sets quickly.

7 Melt the milk chocolate as above and drizzle over each bun, then scatter with the pistachios. To serve, arrange the buns on a large board or platter in the shape of a garland. Decorate and spray with glitter. Serve within 30min to enjoy the pastry crisp.