Summer berry cream puffs
MAKES 24 SMALL PUFFS OR ÉCLAIRS
115g plain flour pinch salt 115g butter, diced 4 small eggs, beaten
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C F/Gas 7. Oil a non-stick baking sheet. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Put the butter and 300ml water in a small saucepan and bring to a brisk boil. As soon as the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat and tip in the flour. Put it back on a low heat and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for 3–4 minutes until the mixture is smooth and glossy and leaves the side of the saucepan.
Remove from the heat and beat in the eggs, a little at a time. Stop beating once the dough is smooth and glossy but stiff enough to hold its shape. Cook as below, depending on the recipe want to make.
TO MAKE ÉCLAIRS
Spoon the dough into a piping bag with a 1cm nozzle. Pipe 9cm lengths of dough on to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them well apart. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden, then turn off the oven. Using a small knife, make a slit along the side of each éclair, then return to the turned off oven for 5 minutes, leaving the door slightly open to dry out the pastry. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
TO MAKE PUFFS
Use 2 teaspoons to spoon out 24 blobs of dough on to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them well apart. Bake for 25 minutes or until dry and crisp. Turn off the oven and, using a skewer, quickly pierce each puff. Return to the turned off oven for 5 minutes, leaving the door slightly open to allow any steam to escape. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
the eggs. Fold in 1tbsp flour, then beat in the last egg. Tip in the remaining flour and the chopped walnuts and lightly fold into the butter mixture. Divide evenly between the 2 sandwich tins and smooth over the surface.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the sponge springs back when lightly pressed and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn out and peel off the baking paper, then allow to cool completely.
To make the butter cream, beat the butter until pale and fluffy, then beat in the icing sugar and a few drops of vanilla extract, to taste. Once the cakes are cold, sandwich them together with the butter cream.
To make the boiled icing, put the sugar in a saucepan, add 150ml water and clip a sugar thermometer on to the side of the pan. Set over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the glucose, bring to the boil and, when it gets very close to 116C, start whisking the egg whites in a bowl, using an electric whisk, until they form stiff peaks. As soon as the syrup reaches 116C, pour it in a thin stream into the egg whites while continuing to whisk. The mixture will billow up into a thick, opaque meringue and then collapse down again slightly.
Whisk in a few drops of vanilla, to taste, and after a couple of minutes pour the icing over the cake; don’t leave it too long as the mixture thickens as it cools. Using a wet palette knife, smooth the icing over the cake. Decorate with the walnut halves, then leave for 2 hours or until the icing is firm before serving.