SAVOURY COFFEE CHEESY PUFFS WITH HONEY

IMAKES: 12–16 PUFFS

NGREDIENTS

100g unsalted butter

1 tbsp coarsely ground Green Lane Tamborine Mountain coffee, or instant coffee

100ml water

150ml milk

1 tbsp caster sugar

1⁄2 tsp sea salt

1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon

150g plain or spelt white flour

3 eggs, lightly beaten

CHEDDAR BÉCHAMEL

50g unsalted butter 50g plain or spelt white flour

200ml milk 200ml cream 100g Witches Chase cloth-aged cheddar, coarsely grated

1/2 tsp sea salt

1⁄2 tsp freshly ground white pepper

TO SERVE

30ml raw honey Lemon thyme leaves

METHOD

1. To make the béchamel, heat a medium saucepan over a medium heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the flour and whisk for one minute. Add the milk and cream, and whisk until thick and smooth, about three minutes. Remove from the heat to cool for a few minutes, then stir in the cheese and seasoning. Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1⁄2cm plain nozzle attached and refrigerate until required.

2. To prepare the pastry, place the butter, coffee, water, milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Heat to just before boiling point, continually stirring. If you added ground coffee, pour the mixture through a fine sieve and discard coffee grounds. (If you have used instant coffee, this step isn’t necessary.)

3. Return the mixture to the pan, add the cinnamon and flour and stir vigorously to form a paste. Cook for three minutes or until the paste comes away from the sides of the pan and thickens. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 minutes. Add the paste to a stand mixer with a beater attachment fitted. Start the mixer on a low speed and add the eggs one by one, lightly beating the mixture a after each addition to fully incorporate. The batter should be shiny and thick.

4. To bake the pastry, preheat the oven to 200C. Grease and line a large baking tray with baking paper. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle, or use a teaspoon to scoop even spoonfuls of pastry onto the tray, leaving a 5cm space between each pastry. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the tray from the oven and prick each puff with the tip of a paring knife to release the steam. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C, and bake for a further five to 10 minutes or until golden and hollow. Remove from the oven, and place on a wire rack to cool.

5.To serve the coffee puffs, cut each puff in half and fill with béchamel. Serve drizzled with honey and finish with lemon thyme leaves.

This is an edited extract from Eat Local Volume 2 by Brenda Fawdon and Christine Sharp