Savory choux puffs

Hello foodies!

Fancy a trip to Italy during aperitif time? Then this recipe is made for you!

Here are our little choux puffs with Italian flavors, filled with ricotta, sun-dried tomatoes and basil. All topped with rocket and prosciutto crisps for that crunchy touch! ;-)

Let's get started with the recipe!

To make approximately 25 to 30 choux puffs, you will need:

Craquelin

- 30gr butter

- 40gr flour

- 40gr grated Gruyère

- 1 pinch of salt

Choux pastry

- 62gr milk

- 62gr water

- 55gr butter

- 3gr salt

- 1 pinch of sugar

- 70gr flour

- 2 eggs

Prosciutto crisps

- 8 slices of prosciutto

Ricotta-sun-dried tomato filling

- 150gr cream cheese (St-Moret)

- 150gr ricotta

- 15gr basil

- 60gr sun-dried tomatoes

- 1 pinch of salt

- 5 turns of the pepper mill

- 1 handful of rocket

First, we are going to make a craquelin — it's what allows the choux puffs to rise evenly. It will also add a lovely crunch to the puffs. ;-)

Craquelin

In a large bowl, add 30gr of butter, 40gr of flour and 40gr of grated Gruyère.

Add 1 pinch of salt.

Mix all the ingredients together by hand until you get a nice smooth dough ball.

Place the dough on a sheet of baking paper and cover it with another sheet of baking paper. This will prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin when you roll it out.

Place 1.5 mm biscuit sticks on each side of the dough to get an even craquelin thickness.

Use a large rolling pin to roll out the dough.

Keep the craquelin in the freezer while you prepare the choux pastry.

Choux pastry

Start by pouring 62gr of milk and 62gr of water into a saucepan.

Add 55gr of butter cut into pieces, 3gr of salt and 1 pinch of sugar.

To measure the salt precisely, use a spoon scale — it's great for weighing small quantities.

Heat everything over medium heat until it comes to a boil.

Add 70gr of flour all at once, then using a spatula (still over medium heat), mix vigorously to form a smooth dough.

The dough is ready when it pulls away from the sides of the saucepan. This will take about 2 minutes. You'll see a thin white film form on the bottom of the pan — that's perfectly normal. ;-)

Transfer the choux pastry into the bowl of your stand mixer, then using the flat beater (K), mix on low speed for about 1 minute. This will allow the dough to cool down.

Crack 2 eggs into a measuring jug so they're easier to add to the mixture. Pour the eggs in 3 additions while mixing. Once incorporated, remove the bowl from the mixer.

Your mixture is ready to be piped! :-)

Prepare a large piping bag fitted with a 13 mm round tip.

Place the piping bag in a jug so you can fill it with choux pastry neatly.

Preheat your oven to 180°C, fan-assisted.

For optimal baking and even choux puffs, place a perforated silicone mold mat on a perforated baking tray.

Pipe the choux holding your piping bag straight up. Use the small 3 cm indentations as a guide so they are all uniform.

Take the craquelin out of the freezer and cut out 3.5 cm rounds using a cookie cutter.

Place a craquelin circle on top of each choux.

Bake the choux in the middle of the preheated oven for 15 to 17 minutes.

Do not open the oven before 15 minutes of baking, or they may collapse. Keep your oven on for the next step.

Let the choux cool completely at room temperature.

To add some crunch to the choux, we are now going to make prosciutto crisps.

Prosciutto crisps

On a perforated baking tray lined with baking paper, lay out 8 slices of prosciutto and cover them with another sheet of baking paper.

To keep the prosciutto slices nice and flat, place another perforated baking tray on top and bake like this for 15 minutes at 180°C in the middle of the oven.

Once the 15 minutes are up, you'll have lovely prosciutto crisps.

Place them on paper towels to absorb the excess fat and let them cool at room temperature.

I recommend making them at the last minute to keep them crispy.

Now we can move on to the last step of the recipe.

Ricotta-sun-dried tomato filling

Start by finely chopping 15gr of basil and 60gr of sun-dried tomatoes, then set aside.

In a bowl, add 150gr of ricotta and 150gr of cream cheese "St-Moret" type.

Mix everything together with a whisk until smooth.

Add the chopped basil and sun-dried tomatoes prepared at the beginning of the recipe.

Season with a pinch of salt and 5 turns of the pepper mill.

Mix everything together again, taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Transfer the ricotta/sun-dried tomato filling into a piping bag fitted with a 13 mm round tip.

Cut your choux puffs in half using a serrated knife.

Pipe the ricotta/sun-dried tomato filling into the bottom halves of the choux and add a little arugula.

Place 1/4 slice of prosciutto crisp and close the choux with their tops.

And here's the result! Little choux puffs with Italian flavors.

I recommend filling them on the same day. However, the choux and the filling can be prepared the day before. That way, on the day itself all you'll have left to do is make the prosciutto crisps to finish assembling the choux.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! The Cakelicious team absolutely loved them. :-D

Wishing you a lovely Sunday, foodies!

Sophie

P.S.: All the equipment used can be found at the bottom of the recipe.