Choux buns with orange and hazelnut crème chantilly recipe

When it comes to ending that dinner party with a bang, profiteroles are the ultimate dessert and this choux bun recipe is simple to make with delicious results. With the light as air pastry and temptingly moreish crème chantilly filling, these mouth sized balls of delight will make a perfect pud for the holiday season. The orange zest provides that wonderful tinge of citrus and pairs perfectly with sweet taste of the hazelnuts. Plus, being packed with vitamin E, B-vitamins and dietary fibre, hazelnuts make an incredibly nutritious treat any time of year.

Ingredients

For the choux buns:

• 75g plain flour, sieved
• Pinch of salt
• 50g unsalted butter
• 125ml hot water
• ½tsp vanilla essence
• 2 eggs

For the crème chantilly filling

:

• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 225ml double cream
• 50g hazelnuts, chopped
• 1tbsp caster sugar
• ½tsp vanilla essence

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Cut up butter and place with salt and water in a pan. Bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, add the sieved flour and beat over the heat again with a wooden spoon until it becomes a smooth, soft paste and leaves the side of the pan clean.
2. Remove from the heat and add vanilla essence and mix. Allow mixture to cool for 5 minutes. Meanwhile beat the eggs in a separate bowl and add to the mixture, a little at a time, beating thoroughly between each addition. You should have a thick glossy paste.
3. Place teaspoons of the paste on a well-greased baking tray and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Then increase the heat to 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7, and bake for 15-20 minutes until the choux buns are risen, light, crisp and golden in colour. Remove from the oven and pierce the side of each one to let out the steam. Cool on a wire rack.
4. For the crème chantilly filling, whisk the cream until it is thick. Add the sugar, orange zest, hazelnut and vanilla essence and whisk briefly until just stiff. Split the cooled choux buns in half and fill each one with a teaspoon of the whipped cream mixture, then join the halves together. Serve with melted chocolate.