Remote Cooking: Lockdown 2.0

So here we are again, cooking from home, as we swing back to lessons learned from Lockdown 1.

Fortunately, we have dusted off the classic recipes taught during Lockdown in March and April and are now teaching and tempting our new batch of Foundation students with online classes to watch and then prepare in the comfort of their home.

Take a look at these great examples of Choux Pastry transformed into Profiteroles with creme Chantilly and eclairs with pastry cream and rich chocolate ganache.

Eclairs and puffs with chocolate ganache and slithered almonds, prepared by Michelle.

Choux pastry, the base of pastries such as profiteroles, eclairs and gougere is essentially a paste, that when baked, captures steam within it to puff up and produce a hollow case. It's the combination of water and eggs that provides the lift.

RECIPE: CHOUX PASTRY

Makes about 16 – 20 puffs

220 ml water 85 g butter

105 g flour pinch of salt

2 - 3 medium-sized eggs

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Place the water into a heavy saucepan. Add the butter. Heat slowly to melt the butter then turn up the heat and bring to a rolling boil.
Sieve the flour and salt. Tip into the boiling mixture. Quickly, with a wooden spoon, beat the flour and water together. Remove from the heat after 30 seconds. Keep mixing together off the heat until the paste becomes thick and leaves the side of the saucepan. This is called a panade.
Allow the paste to cool for 4- 5 minutes.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until the paste is soft, shiny and smooth. If the eggs are large, it may not be necessary to add all of them. The mixture should be of a dropping consistency – should drop off a spoon in a blob - and not be too runny.
Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Drop the paste into a piping bag or using two spoons, lift and scoop onto the tray. Leave about 2 centimetres between each blob of pastry.

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Close-up of Cat's eclair with chantilly creme and chocolate ganache.