Zélikha shares a recipe for giant choux filled with vanilla chantilly. A lesson in the pleasure of making something from scratch, and taking the time to get it just right.

Giant Choux with Vanilla Chantilly

Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus baking time

Ingridients

• 50 g water
• 50 g whole milk
• 50 g flour
• 2 g sugar
• 1 g salt
• 35 g butter
• 75 g eggs, beaten and weighed

For the vanilla chantilly

• 1 vanilla pod
• 200 g cream
• 30 g mascarpone
• 25 g icing sugar

1. Prepare the pastry.

Heat the water, milk and butter together in a saucepan. Once the butter has melted, remove from the heat, add the flour and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.

2. Dry out the dough.

Return the pan to the heat and stir continuously for approximately one minute, until a fine film forms on the bottom of the pan. Transfer the dough to a bowl and mix until it has cooled to lukewarm.

3. Add the eggs.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, until the dough is smooth, glossy and holds its shape.

Preheat the oven to 210°C.

4. Pipe the choux.

Pipe two large choux, approximately 10 cm each, onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

5. Add the finishing touch.

Sprinkle the choux with pearl sugar and bake at 210°C for 10 minutes.

6. Bake until golden.

Reduce the oven temperature to 170°C and bake for a further 45 minutes. Briefly open the oven door after 30 minutes of baking at the lower temperature, then allow the choux to finish baking until dry and golden.

7. Make the chantilly.

Split the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds. Whip the cream, mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla together until the chantilly is light and holds its shape.