Choux pastry

This week I have been on a pastry mission. I've been brushing up on the basic shortcrust and I thought of maybe trying something new. I've never made choux pastry, and frankly I'm surprised I haven't as it was relatively easy. And quite fun!

I made some profiteroles with a white chocolate ganache filling and a little bit of extra cream to really fill them up. And also some eclairs with a lemon curd filling topped with a dark chocolate ganache. And then lightly sprinkled with icing sugar.
Owen took the profiteroles down to the pub quiz for the team to enjoy!

Here's the results:


And here's the recipe:

1 cup plain flour
pinch of salt
80g butter
1 cup water
3 large eggs, lightly beaten.

Heat the oven to 200 deg Celsius. Line two baking trays with baking paper and lightly sprinkle with cold water. This is to create steam which helps the dough puff up during baking.
Sift the flour and salt onto a large square of baking paper.
Heat the water and melt butter together in a medium saucepan. When it has come to a rolling boil quickly "shoosh" the flour from the baking paper (this is why we sift the flour onto it, so it all goes in easily at once) into the saucepan and lightly mix until ingredients are combined the dough comes away from the sides of the pan. Be careful not to overbeat.
Turn off the stove and put flour mixture into a bowl and cool for 10mins. When cooled place dough in a mixer and add the eggs slowly and beat until thick and glossy in appearance.
Put the dough into a piping bag and pipe onto tray in shape desired. Long for the eclairs and wee round blobs for the profiteroles.

Put into oven for 15 mins and when puffed reduce the temperature to 180 and cook for a further 30 mins or until the pastry is dry. Cool on a cooling rack. For the profiteroles, prick a small hole underneath and fill from the bottom. For the eclairs when it is cooled slice lengthways and fill with cream, chocolate ganache...anything you wish.