Yes, strawberries again (they’re my favourite fruit). At the same time, I feel like I have to wait an eternity before seeing strawberries back on our market stalls, so when the season arrives, I make the most of it.
Today, I’m sharing a recipe for strawberry whipped cream choux buns filled with a vanilla diplomat cream, a strawberry confit and a small brunoise of strawberries. The whole thing is topped with a pretty rosette of chantilly cream.
A recipe that isn’t too complicated but still requires making several preparations
On Instagram, you can find a video of the assembly which may help you make this dessert 🙂
How do I get my choux buns right?
When you’re starting out in pastry, choux pastry tends to be a bit scary. And if on top of that you take a quick look online, you often come across comments like “my choux buns always shrivel up”, “they looked great but then they went completely flat” or “they have a funny shape”, which can be discouraging before you’ve even tried!
Honestly, it’s not as complicated as all that, I promise! To help you make this strawberry whipped cream choux bun, a few years ago I wrote an article detailing the recipe with a step-by-step in pictures and plenty of advice and little tips. Take the time to read that article before you start and keep in mind the most important piece of advice when it comes to baking: you must not open the oven before the choux is baked! Even if you really want to check on the baking more closely. And if you’re not sure whether the choux is properly baked, you can always turn the oven off and let it dry out a little longer.
The other tip for a perfect choux bun is to put a disc of craquelin on top. It’s very simple to make and it changes everything. The craquelin lets the choux bun rise evenly. Taste-wise, it also adds a little something extra, a wonderfully pleasant little crunch in the mouth, and with a small touch of fleur de sel, it’s the best!
How do I make a strawberry confit?
To make a strawberry confit (but it could just as well be another fruit), you can use a ready-made fruit purée, which is now easy to find in the shops (for example at Zôdio) or on pastry websites. You can also use fresh fruit that you blend using a blender or a hand blender.
Personally, I make all my fruit confits with NH pectin, which gives me a wonderfully pleasant texture in the mouth. So I advise against using gelatine or agar agar; these 2 gelling agents aren’t used in the same way and don’t have the same properties. So you won’t get the same result as with pectin. Pectin is also fairly easy to find online and in specialist shops. I’ve never tried it, but I know some people use Vitpris as a replacement for pectin (Vitpris, for its part, is easy to find in your supermarket) but the dosage is different, so be careful.
Back to pectin. It’s a plant-based substance found in many fruit seeds (apples, quince, redcurrants…) and citrus zests. Mainly used for making jams, it can also set fruit-based desserts. You must always mix the pectin with the sugar before adding them to the preparation (this avoids lumps). Then, you bring the preparation to the boil so the pectin can work, and you add lemon juice because pectin loves acidity.
How do I get my chantilly cream right?
To make a successful chantilly cream, start by using full-fat liquid cream (minimum 30% fat). You can sometimes find creams with 35% fat (at Grand Frais or Auchan, and for professionals at Métro of course). The cream must be very cold and, to put all the odds in your favour, I also recommend chilling the whisks and the bowl of the stand mixer or the mixing bowl.
I’m in the habit of putting about 10 to 20% mascarpone in my chantilly cream (if it’s a mascarpone chantilly, you can go up to 50% of the weight of the cream). It whips a little better and I prefer the texture too. Then, there’s no need to whisk at high speed. Quite the opposite, in fact. Start on a low speed, the aim being to incorporate as much air as possible into the cream. Then, you can increase the speed gradually (I never go to maximum power). As you go, you’ll see furrows forming in the cream, that’s a good sign. I always add the icing sugar once the cream has started to change texture. Be careful not to over-whip it, you need to know when to stop. I recommend stopping a little before it’s ready and finishing whisking by hand to better control the right texture. When the chantilly cream holds on the whisk, it’s done!
Ingredients & method
6 components · Full recipe
Strawberry compote (make the day before)
Ingredients
- 125 g (4.4 oz) strawberries
- 17 g (0.6 oz) sugar
- 2 g (0.1 oz) NH pectin
- a little lime juice
Preparation
1
Heat the strawberries with half the sugar until the first boil.
2
Add the sugar and pectin mixture (combined beforehand) and bring back to a boil. Cook for a few minutes.
3
Off the heat, add a dash of lime juice and quickly blend with an immersion blender (optional).
Craquelin (can be made ahead)
Ingredients
- 30 g (1.1 oz) unsalted butter
- 37 g (1.3 oz) brown sugar
- 37 g (1.3 oz) flour
- 1 pinch of fleur de sel
Preparation
1
In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and fleur de sel, then add the softened butter and knead for a few minutes to get a smooth dough.
2
Roll the dough out to 1–2 mm thickness between two sheets of baking paper.
3
Cut out discs to match the diameter of your choux (slightly larger if you want the craquelin to fully cover the choux; you can use a pastry cutter, a piping nozzle, etc.).
Vanilla diplomat cream (can be started the day before)
Ingredients
- 220 g (7.8 oz) whole milk
- 1 vanilla pod
- 40 g (1.4 oz) caster sugar
- 40 g (1.4 oz) egg yolks (about 2 large eggs)
- 20 g (0.7 oz) cornstarch
- 2 g (0.1 oz) gelatine (1 sheet)
- 15 g (0.5 oz) unsalted butter
- 75 g (2.6 oz) whipping cream
Preparation
1
Soak the gelatine sheet in very cold water for 10 minutes.
2
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture turns pale.
3
Add the cornstarch and mix.
4
Bring the milk to a boil with the vanilla seeds and pod in a large saucepan. Pour three-quarters of the milk slowly into the bowl in a thin stream, whisking constantly, then pour everything back into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk.
5
Whisk over medium heat until the cream thickens, about 2–3 minutes.
6
Off the heat, add the squeezed gelatine and the cold butter cut into pieces, and mix well.
7
Pour into a wide dish, cover with cling film directly on the surface, and leave to cool in the fridge for at least 1 hour (you can even do this step the day before).
8
The next day (or 1 hour later), transfer the pastry cream to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk at full speed for 2–3 minutes to aerate it.
9
Whip the cream to a soft chantilly and fold it into the pastry cream in 3 additions.
Choux pastry
Ingredients
- 50 g (1.8 oz) water
- 50 g (1.8 oz) milk
- 1 g (0 oz) sugar
- 1 g (0 oz) salt
- 40 g (1.4 oz) butter
- 60 g (2.1 oz) flour
- 100 g (3.5 oz) eggs
Preparation
1
In a saucepan, combine the water, milk, salt, sugar and butter. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and add the flour all at once. Mix vigorously with a wooden spoon.
2
Return to the heat for 30 seconds to dry out the dough (the panade should just barely start to stick to the bottom of the pan).
3
Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Leave to cool for a few minutes.
4
Gradually add the eggs. The dough should be neither too thick nor too runny — it should form a ribbon. A line traced through the dough with your finger should slowly close back up.
5
Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a 15 mm plain nozzle.
6
Preheat the oven to 240°C / 465°F on static heat.
7
Pipe 4 cm (1.6 in) diameter choux onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper, then place the frozen craquelin discs on top of each chou.
8
Put in the oven then immediately lower the temperature to 180°C / 350°F. Bake for about 30 minutes.
Whipped cream
Ingredients
- 150 g (5.3 oz) whipping cream
- 30 g (1.1 oz) mascarpone
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar
Preparation
1
Place the bowl and electric beater whisk(s) in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
2
Pour the cream and mascarpone into the bowl and begin whisking on medium speed, then as the cream starts to thicken slightly, increase the speed.
3
Add the icing sugar, vanilla and grated tonka bean when the cream is almost whipped.
Assembly of the strawberry whipped cream puffs
Ingredients
- None
Preparation
1
Carefully cut each chou in half horizontally with a serrated knife.
2
Pipe vanilla diplomat cream into the base of each chou.
3
Place a dome of strawberry compote in the centre, press gently and cover with more diplomat cream right to the top.
4
Pipe a beautiful rosette of whipped cream on top, then replace the chou lid (I cut mine out with a pastry cutter).
Gallery
