Eclairs, profiteroles, Le crazy croquembouche... All ruddy delicious. And choux based. I saw a pic in the metro this morning about Michel Roux Jr (hero) doing a programme about Patisserie this evening and ever since, choux was on my brain! I hadn't made any in a while, so I wanted to revisit it.
I decided to make a batch for the freezer, so when I next have a houseful to feed I'll fill them with some form of cream/custard/chocolate combo. Deelish!
My favourite recipe is by Delia (love her), and a quick google or old fashioned look in a recipe book will find it. It's a slightly tricky beast but don't be put off... The first time I made it i created small bombs with raw dough inside, but usually (just jinxed it now!) Queen Delia Goddess of All That Is Baked knows best. The mistake I made was (first time) medium instead of large eggs, and I suspect also not beating enough.
I use exactly the ingredients our Del recommends, but my method is a little different...Lazy Jo uses her mixer for this...!
So melt butter and water together, add flour and a spot of sugar in one lump as Delia says. Once I get to the stage where it's a ball and I'm ready to add the beaten egg, I plop it into my mixer and use about speed 4 or so to do the leg (arm, beating pastry with a leg does sound impressive though) work for me as I add the egg.
Then, pipe, bake, do a small dance of hope, and open the door! It's recipes like this that make me miss my oven with a glass door... Although it does bring a certain feeling of edge of the seat as you open the door :)
Piercing them to let the steam out prevents them from sogging as they cool.
And here they are, fat little beauties that they are! 
Plenty of cream space :)
Today the pastry gods were on my side! Now, just to work out how to get then to love me all the time... :)
JB x
