Coffee caramel choux puffs

Makes 12 Desserts and puddings

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Method

To make the pastry cream filling, beat the sugar, egg yolks, cornflour and plain flour in a bowl until smooth. Put the instant coffee, milk and 100ml of the cream in a pan and heat gently until bubbles just start to appear around the edge. Mix just over half this liquid into the egg mixture, then stir well and pour back into the pan. With a wooden spoon, stir continuously on a low heat until turning lumpy, then take off the heat to stir until smooth. Transfer to a clean bowl, immediately cover the surface with cling film and leave to cool completely.
To make the choux puffs, preheat the oven to 190C/ 170C F/Gas 5. Sift the flour on to a sheet of baking paper. Put 175ml cold water in a medium pan with the butter and heat over a medium heat until the butter has melted and is just starting to fizz. Remove from the heat and shoot in the flour all in one go, then beat with a wooden spoon until very smooth. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan.

Crack the eggs into a bowl and break them up with a fork. Beat into the mixture in the pan, a small amount at a time, with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes firm and glossy and holds its shape. Fit a plain 2cm nozzle into a piping bag and pipe the mixture into 12 even rounds on a large non-stick baking sheet. Dampen your middle finger and smooth the tops as there will be a peak after piping.

Bake for 20 minutes, then increase the oven temperature to 200C/180C F/Gas 6 and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until puffed and golden – when they are done they will easily come away from the baking sheet. Keeping the oven on, make a small slit in the side of each one and put back into the oven to dry for a few minutes – this helps stop them sinking as it releases the steam from inside.

Transfer the puffs to a wire rack to cool completely. If making in advance, store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. For the nut and rose topping, line a tray with foil. Put the sugar and 3tbsp water in a small pan set over a low heat to dissolve the sugar to a syrup. Bring
to a boil on a high heat for around 4 minutes until lightly caramelised, then add the cubes of butter, stir, take off the heat and wait for the bubbles to subside. Add the nuts and rose pieces, spread on to the prepared tray and leave to harden. When cold and hard, break into pieces on a board and roughly chop.

Loosen the pastry cream by mixing in the remaining double cream, then use a plain 1.5cm nozzle to pipe it into the slit you made in the sides of the choux puffs and arrange them on a serving platter. To make the caramel topping, put the sugar and 3tbsp water in a small pan over a low heat to dissolve the sugar to a syrup. Bring to a boil on a high heat for around 4 minutes until caramelised. Add the cubes of butter, stir, take off the heat and wait for the bubbles to subside.

Spoon the caramel over the top of the puffs, one at a time, adding the chopped nut and rose topping as you go so that it sticks firmly to the top while the caramel is still sticky – it will be less likely to fall off as the caramel sets. Serve on a platter.