Ingredients
For the choux pastry
- 150g plain flour
- 100g unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 250ml cold water
- 3 free-range eggs plus 1 additional egg yolk
For the crème patisserie
- 6 free-range egg yolks
- 40g plain flour
- 125g caster sugar
- 450ml milk
- 1 vanilla pod
To flavour
- 2 tablespoons melted dark chocolate
- 1–2 tablespoons strong espresso coffee (or to taste)
- few drops rosewater (to taste)
- few drops red food dye
To finish
- 2 fresh raspberries
- cocoa
- 2 cups icing sugar
- strong espresso coffee
- red food dye
Makes 6 nuns (2 chocolate, 2 coffee and 2 rose)
Preparation Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Sift the
flour into a bowl. Put the butter, salt and water in a heavy-based pan
and bring to the boil over medium heat. As the water comes to the boil,
remove from the heat and dump in the flour in one go. Immediately stir
briskly with a wooden spoon until the flour and liquid are evenly
combined.
Place the pan back on a lower heat. Beat continuously for a minute until you have a coherent mass that comes away easily from the side of the pan. Remove the mixture from the heat and leave it to cool for about 3 minutes. (If you add the eggs immediately, the mixture may curdle.)
Beat the first 3 eggs into the mixture, one at a time, making sure each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next. The mixture should be smooth and glossy. If it is too stiff, trickle in some of the additional egg yolk, beating well.
Leave the mixture to cool to room temperature. Fit a piping bag with an 18mm round nozzle and fill it with the choux mixture. On 1 greased baking tray, pipe 6 balls around the size of a walnut, and on the other tray pipe 6 balls around the size of a mandarin. Brush the tops with remaining egg.
Lower the oven temperature to 190°C. Bake the larger choux balls for 25 minutes, then lower the temperature to 160°C for a further 15 minutes or until the choux balls are golden brown and puffy. Bake the smaller choux balls for 15 minutes at 190°C, then lower the temperature to 160°C for a further 10 minutes. Remove the trays from the oven and pierce each choux ball with a sharp knife. Turn off the oven and return the choux balls to the oven to dry completely. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
To make the crème patisserie, place the egg yolks, flour and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a bowl and whisk until pale. Combine the milk with the remaining sugar. Split the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into the milk. Pour this mixture into a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat. Gently whisk into the egg mixture, then return the mix to the pan. Cook over a low heat, stirring until thickened (make sure the crème is properly cooked or your filling will be runny).
Divide the crème patisserie into 3 even batches. To make the chocolate crème patisserie, gently whisk some melted dark chocolate into the first batch of warm crème patisserie. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag (do this immediately to prevent a skin forming). Add a small amount of coffee to the second batch and mix until the coffee is completely incorporated (do not add too much, or your filling will be too wet). Place in a piping bag. Carefully add a couple of drops of rosewater and red food dye to the final batch. Mix well to ensure the flavour and colour are evenly distributed. Place in a third piping bag.
With a knife, make the hole in each choux ball larger and fill them with the flavoured crème patisserie. For the rose mixture, half-fill 2 large choux balls and carefully place a raspberry in the centre, then continue filling. Fill the smaller choux balls with just the rose mixture. Fill the remaining choux balls with the other 2 flavours to create 6 ‘nuns’ in total (2 of each flavour).
Mix the cocoa and a third of the icing sugar in a bowl, add 1/2 tsp hot water and stir until smooth. Do the same with the coffee. Mix the rosewater, red food dye and remaining icing sugar in a bowl, and stir until smooth. Ice the choux balls to match their filling flavours, creating a cap and cape. Pipe a white chocolate ruffle collar on the base of a small choux ball, then sit it onto a larger matching choux ball (hold in place until it is firmly attached). Pipe a white chocolate cap peak on top. Assemble the remaining ‘nuns’ and serve immediately.
Place the pan back on a lower heat. Beat continuously for a minute until you have a coherent mass that comes away easily from the side of the pan. Remove the mixture from the heat and leave it to cool for about 3 minutes. (If you add the eggs immediately, the mixture may curdle.)
Beat the first 3 eggs into the mixture, one at a time, making sure each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next. The mixture should be smooth and glossy. If it is too stiff, trickle in some of the additional egg yolk, beating well.
Leave the mixture to cool to room temperature. Fit a piping bag with an 18mm round nozzle and fill it with the choux mixture. On 1 greased baking tray, pipe 6 balls around the size of a walnut, and on the other tray pipe 6 balls around the size of a mandarin. Brush the tops with remaining egg.
Lower the oven temperature to 190°C. Bake the larger choux balls for 25 minutes, then lower the temperature to 160°C for a further 15 minutes or until the choux balls are golden brown and puffy. Bake the smaller choux balls for 15 minutes at 190°C, then lower the temperature to 160°C for a further 10 minutes. Remove the trays from the oven and pierce each choux ball with a sharp knife. Turn off the oven and return the choux balls to the oven to dry completely. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
To make the crème patisserie, place the egg yolks, flour and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a bowl and whisk until pale. Combine the milk with the remaining sugar. Split the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into the milk. Pour this mixture into a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat. Gently whisk into the egg mixture, then return the mix to the pan. Cook over a low heat, stirring until thickened (make sure the crème is properly cooked or your filling will be runny).
Divide the crème patisserie into 3 even batches. To make the chocolate crème patisserie, gently whisk some melted dark chocolate into the first batch of warm crème patisserie. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag (do this immediately to prevent a skin forming). Add a small amount of coffee to the second batch and mix until the coffee is completely incorporated (do not add too much, or your filling will be too wet). Place in a piping bag. Carefully add a couple of drops of rosewater and red food dye to the final batch. Mix well to ensure the flavour and colour are evenly distributed. Place in a third piping bag.
With a knife, make the hole in each choux ball larger and fill them with the flavoured crème patisserie. For the rose mixture, half-fill 2 large choux balls and carefully place a raspberry in the centre, then continue filling. Fill the smaller choux balls with just the rose mixture. Fill the remaining choux balls with the other 2 flavours to create 6 ‘nuns’ in total (2 of each flavour).
Mix the cocoa and a third of the icing sugar in a bowl, add 1/2 tsp hot water and stir until smooth. Do the same with the coffee. Mix the rosewater, red food dye and remaining icing sugar in a bowl, and stir until smooth. Ice the choux balls to match their filling flavours, creating a cap and cape. Pipe a white chocolate ruffle collar on the base of a small choux ball, then sit it onto a larger matching choux ball (hold in place until it is firmly attached). Pipe a white chocolate cap peak on top. Assemble the remaining ‘nuns’ and serve immediately.
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