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Strawberry Choux Puffs | Patisserie Makes Perfect

Strawberry Choux Puffs

Patisserie Makes Perfect
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Course Patisserie
Cuisine French
Servings 18 -20

Ingredients
  

  • ***Strawberry Cracquelin***
  • 10 g Freeze-dried Strawberry Powder
  • 90 g Plain Flour
  • 75 g Unsalted Butter
  • 90 g Caster Sugar
  • 1 x Quantity of Choux Pastry
  • ***Strawberry Ganache***
  • 250 g Strawberry Puree
  • 250 g 65% Dark Chocolate chopped into small pieces
  • 60 g Unsalted Butter diced and at room temperature
  • ***Strawberry Icing***
  • 100 g Icing Sugar sifted
  • 10 g Freeze-dried Strawberry Powder sifted
  • 30 ml Milk

Instructions
 

  • First make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a bowl and then heat the strawberry puree until it comes to a boil. Don't let the puree boil for too long as you don't want to reduce the volume at all.
  • Take the strawberry puree and pour it on the chocolate and stir it to melt all of the chocolate, slowly add the butter and stir it until it is all melted and combined.
  • Cover with clingfilm, making sure the cling film touches the top of the ganache so that you don't get any condensation and put to one side to cool.
  • To make the craquelin, mix the flour, sugar, freeze-dried strawberry powder and butter together in a bowl, using your fingertips rub the ingredients together until they resemble breadcrumbs.
  • Then press the breadcrumbs together until they form a dough. Place the dough between two sheets of greaseproof paper and roll out the dough until it's 2mm thick. Place the dough on a baking tray, still covered in the greaseproof paper and put it in the freezer.
  • reheat the oven to 180C (160C Fan) Gas 4, line two baking trays with grease proof paper or silicone baking sheets.
  • Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1cm straight nozzle and pipe out 3cm sized blobs of choux pastry that are spaced well apart. You should have around 18-20 choux puffs.
  • When you have piped the choux, take the craquelin and cut out enough 3cm circles to cover the top of your choux pastry and place one of top of each blob.
  • Bake the choux puffs for 35 mins, you may need to rotate the baking tray half-way through cooking. Leave the choux puffs in the oven for a further 30 mins to dry out.
  • Take the choux puffs from the oven and place them on a rack to cool, using a sharp knife pierce a hole in the bottom of each choux puff.
  • Make the icing, by mixing the strawberry powder, icing sugar and milk together until they form a thick icing. Leave the icing to thicken, whilst you fill the choux puffs with the ganache.
  • Place the cooled ganache in a piping bag and snip off the end with a pair of scissors so there is an opening small enough to fit inside the hole in the bottom of the choux bun. Fill each choux puff with ganache, just until it puffs up a little and before ganache oozes back out.
  • Stir the icing to make sure it hasn't crystallised and dip the tops of the choux puffs in the icing and let the excess fall off. Dip all of the choux puffs in the icing, towards the end you may not have enough icing to dip it, so you'll need to use a spoon to spread it on top.

Notes

The choux pastry recipe is here.
The ganache can be made a day or two in advance, but if it sets to hard, the ganache can be softened in the microwave in short bursts of 30 seconds but don't let it get too hot.
The freeze-dried strawberry powder can be bought from Sous Chef.