Smoked Salmon Cream Puffs

23 Feb Smoked Salmon Cream Puffs

Cream puffs are always delicious whether sweet or savoury

Ingredients:

Batter:

• 100 g butter
• 300 ml water
• 120 g flour or gluten free flour
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

Filling:

• 350 g smoked salmon (or other smoked fish)
• 1 apple (eg. Granny Smith, Braeburn – preferably a tart apple)
• 3 spring onions
• Dill
• Asparagus Vinegar
• 1-2 tsp sweet mustard (I have used my homemade one but Dijon mustard with honey is a good one to use)
• about  200 g Mayonnaise  (if not homemade I prefer the free range eggs one from Hellman‘s)
• 250 g cottage cheese (if you prefer you could also use diced hart boiled eggs)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Salt

Method :

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6
2. In a sauce pan – in which you can use an electric hand mixer – heat the butter and water to a rolling boil. It really needs to boil because otherwise the batter will be too runny.
3. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the flour all at once and beat vigorously until in all comes together and the batter thickens.
4. Beat in the eggs with an electric hand mixer, 1 at the time, until the batter is smooth and glossy.
5. Add the baking powder and mix well.
6. Fill a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle with the batter and pipe either small puffs or one big circle onto the baking tray. If you want to make small ones you’ll need two baking trays. Leave enough space between the puffs because they double in size when baking. Bake in the middle of the oven until the puffs rise and are golden brown, about 25 minutes – depending on the size of the puffs.

Puffs can be made a day ahead but make sure they are completely cool and then store in an airtight container at room temperature. They get chewy if they get moist.

1. Cut apple in little cubes.
2. Slice the spring onions.
3. Chop the dill and cut the smoked salmon in little pieces.
4. Mix the cottage cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, dill, spring onions and smoked salmon in a bowl. Season with pepper & Asparagus Vinegar. Add more mustard and salt to taste if you wish.
5. Transfer filling to a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle.
6. Cut the top of the puffs and pipe in the filling and then put the top back on. 
7. Garnish with dill and a lemon slice or small wedge.

The filling is enough for the double amount of batter if you make the small puffs.

TIP: You can vary the filling –  use diced hart boiled eggs or little gherkin cubes for example.