This recipe is one that I have re-created from a one-off childhood memory of some beautiful, heavenly Strawberry Choux Buns. My mother made them for my grandmother’s coffee morning when we were staying with my grandparents one summer in Denmark. There was no actual recipe, she just put them together from her own inspiration. To my knowledge she never made them again but they were so wonderful, the memory of them lived on. I recall sneaking to the fridge before the party and thinking, they won’t miss another one will they. To me they were the best thing I had ever tasted! The thing that set these Choux buns apart from any I’d ever had before, was the delicious strawberry icing and the crushed strawberry and whipped cream filling.
The first person to try one of my buns was my daughter’s piano teacher and she loved it. My children and husband also loved them which was just as well as I made far too many (22) and even had to do a mercy dash to my parents to distribute the booty. Therefore in the following recipe there is enough dough for 24 but filling for just 12 with the idea that you freeze the other 12 buns for the future (they thaw rapidly). Why not invent your own topping/filling for the rest!
The basic choux recipe has been adapted from a Herald Series article by Helen Peacocke.
I am entering my recipe into Jen Price from Blue Kitchen Bakes “Classic French” challenge which is Choux Pastry this month.
I’m also entering these into Ren from Fabulicious Food’s Simple and in Season, this month hosted by Katie from Feeding Boys and a Firefighter.
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- After melting butter with water immediately tip in flour and salt.
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- Beat well to form dough then add eggs one at a time.
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- Beat again until you have a glossy paste.
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- Spoon or pipe onto greased and floured baking trays.
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- After baking cool on wire rack.
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- Fold the icing sugar and strawberry pulp into the whipped cream.
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- Make icing with icing sugar and strawberry juice.
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- Spoon icing onto choux buns.
- 125g / 4oz butter
- 125g / 4oz plain flour
- 570 ml / ½ pint water
- 4 free range eggs
- Pinch salt
- For filling:
- 150ml Whipping Cream
- 200g Strawberries, crushed over a sieve
- 1 tbsp Icing sugar
- For icing:
- 250g Icing sugar
- 50ml Strawberry juice (from crushed strawberries)
- Preheat the oven to 220C/425F or gas mark 7.
- Grease and flour a 2 large flat baking trays to prevent the buns from sticking as they cook.
- Place the water and butter into a saucepan and heat until the butter has melted.
- Using a whisk mix in the flour and salt, and beat really well over a moderate heat until the mix begins to form into a soft ball.
- Remove from the heat and beat in the eggs one by one.
- At this stage you should have a smooth shiny paste.
- Using a couple of spoons or a piping bag, place rounds of the paste on the greased tray.
- Size is up to you, as long as you remember that if cooked properly, they will double in size, so leave enough room for them to expand.
- Bake in hot oven for ten minutes and then, without opening the oven door, turn the heat down to 190C/375F or gas mark 5.
- Leave to cook a further ten minutes before carefully opening the oven door.
- When the choux buns are golden brown and puffed to twice their original size, they are done.
- For best effect, turn the oven off when they are done and make an incision in the side of each bun then allow them to remain in the oven with the door open for another ten minutes to dry out.
- Then slide off onto a wire rack.
- Cut a lid from each choux bun and leave to cool. (If the buns are still a little gooey in the centre, return them to the turned-off oven for 5 minutes to dry out.)
- Now whip the cream and fold in the icing sugar and crushed drained strawberries. Reserve juice.
- Fill by spooning in the strawberry whipped cream and then replace the lids.
- To make icing, put icing sugar in a bowl and stir in reserved strawberry juice in 2-3 lots and spoon over the choux buns.
- Refrigerate for about 1 hr to chill and let the icing set. (If you can wait that long!)
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10 comments
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Jen
09/09/2012 at 1:14 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
They sound delicious and look divine. Thanks for entering Classic French
Camilla
09/09/2012 at 1:52 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thank you Jen. Here’s to a successful challenge!
Mich Puece of Cake
10/09/2012 at 11:16 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Yummy! I was just thinking of what filling I should do for choux
Pastries this weekend and strawberries sound perfect!
Camilla
10/09/2012 at 11:57 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I hope you enjoy them as much as we did:-)
Katie
10/09/2012 at 4:34 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
My word these look totally DIVINE! I’m on a health kick at the moment so am desperately trying to avoid stuff like this, but i’m going to bookmark this for the next time I need to impress some afternoon tea guests…
Choux pastry is properly tricky so blimmin’ good effort! Thanks for linking up
Camilla
10/09/2012 at 5:02 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Thank you so much for your kind words. I do hope you try them out before the strawberry season is out! Everything in moderation I say. There’s no such thing as bad food, just a bad diet! But it’s difficult running a blog to sometimes not cross this line in the line of duty:-)
Jacqueline @How to be a Gourmand
10/09/2012 at 10:57 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I really like choux pastry but can’t really take cream ….but like strawberries. What’s a girl to do? Decisions decisions…..If I was to substitute the cream for custard…do you think that would work Camilla?
Looks like you had a sunny day when you made these
Camilla
10/09/2012 at 11:41 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Hmm, does that mean you don’t do ice cream either. I think the nearest alternative would be to fill will a very good quality strawberry ice cream (but they often contain cream). I wonder if strawberry creme patisserie exists – maybe you could be the first to invent it Jacqueline? Plain custard just wouldn’t do these justice, I would then just put chocolate on top. Tell you what I’ll cut down the cream if you cut down the blue cheese blogs!
Laura loves cakes
16/09/2012 at 9:12 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
These sound absolutely lovely…I love the idea of strawberry icing and strawberry inside…I can imagine it goes perfectly withe the choux and cream. I braved choux this week and made two recipes…it’s actually not as difficult as I thought it would be!
Camilla
16/09/2012 at 9:18 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Hi Laura
I’m ashamed to say that the last time I made choux pastry was at school! As you say, they aren’t difficult, just need a lot of elbow grease. As my husband was around I used some of his whilst I took the pictures! I look forward to seeing your creations, thanks for stopping by!