A New Pair of Choux[s]: Part Two

Having come up with a gluten-free pate a choux recipe with which I am extremely pleased, the time has come to consider the myriad of uses for these miraculous little puffs. They are so adaptable, you might say they are positively ambidextrous!

Sweet possibilities abound. There are spherical profiteroles, of course, which you can elongate to make eclairs. Fill them with rum-scented pastry cream for salambos; praline mousse for Paris-Brests; or whipped cream for gateaux Saint-Honore. Pile 'em high and adorn with sugared almonds and spun caramel for a towering croquembouche (I keep meaning to do this one day -  maybe soon!).

Profiteroles filled with ice cream, sprinkled with powdered sugar,
and drizzled with warm chocolate sauce

They are equally versatile as savoury bites. Gougeres are my favorite, and the original inspiration for my choux experiments. But the boules can be filled with any sort of stiff mixture that won't leak or compromise too quickly the integrity of the crisp yet delicate shells: a thick artichoke and crab dip, perhaps, or mushroom duxelles. I am suddenly liberated by the gluten-free possibilities that have opened up before me!

Here is my choux pastry recipe, hot off the presses. The baking instructions assume you are making profiteroles, but the principle is the same no matter what shape suits your mood and purpose. I have also adapted my old recipe for gougeres, now magnificently, gratifyingly, gluten-free.

Gluten-free choux pastry

• 1.5 oz. gluten-free all purpose baking flour
• 1 oz. white rice flour
• 1 tsp sugar (for sweet applications, otherwise a dash of salt)
• 5 oz. very hot water
• 4 oz. butter, cut into little pieces
• 2 eggs, well beaten

Preheat your oven to 400 deg F. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment or silicon paper. If you really want to do it right, spray the paper with a little bit of water (you can use the same atomizer you mist your plants with) to facilitate steam production in the oven.

Sift together the flours and sugar/salt many times. How many times, exactly? It doesn't matter - because you haven't measured them volumetrically! It's helpful to sift the dry ingredients onto a folded piece of waxed paper for ease of pouring later on.

Place the butter bits in a saucepan and pour the hot water over them. When the butter has melted, quickly bring the mixture to a boil. Turn off the heat immediately and shoot the flour in all at once (hence the wax paper). Stir lustily and without delay using your best wooden spoon. It takes some time for the g/f flour to absorb the liquid, so you might be at it for a while. When it's done, you have an unattractive curdled-looking lumpy mess that will make you think you've done something wrong. Do not despair! Turn on a low heat under the pan and roll the mixture around for a little to get rid of the excess moisture. It should become a floppy ball that comes cleanly away from the sides and bottom of the pan.

Remove the pan from the heat, and add the eggs a tiny bit at time, beating furiously all the while with your electric hand mixer. Gradually, the mixture will smooth out and become glossy - keep beating until it's very firm and really holds its shape. This takes longer with g/f flour than wheat flour - I think because the g/f flour is a slower absorber of moisture. Don't give up and you will be rewarded with a pliable dough that will do your bidding.

Pipe or spoon little hills of choux paste onto your baking sheet (I make them on the large side, so I get about twelve from a batch). If you want to brush on an egg wash for added sophistication, do that now (I generally don't if the final application is sweet). Bake for ten minutes, then increase the temperature to 425 deg F and bake for a further fifteen minutes or so. The puffs should be dry to the touch, nicely brown, and wobble not a bit when you jiggle the pan. Remove them onto a wire rack to cool, but not before puncturing their sides with a skewer to let the steam escape. Fill them with whatever you like, but wait until as soon as possible before serving or they will get soggy and your heroic efforts will have been in vain.

NB If you are so inclined, you can make excellent gluten-filled choux paste by substituting bread flour (2.5 oz) for the g/f varieties. The method is the same, although you won't get a curdled mess when you shoot the flour into the liquid.

Gluten-free gougeres

1 batch of g/f choux pastry (see above)
2.5 oz good grateable cheese (cheddar or gruyere,  maybe), duly grated
one half-teaspoon of mustard
a pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper

Make the choux pastry (seasoning the flour with salt and pepper). After you have beaten in the eggs, mix in most of the cheese and the rest of the ingredients.

Pipe or spoon little hillocks onto your baking sheet; brush with a bit of egg wash; and top with the rest of the cheese. Bake at 400 deg F for ten minutes, then increase the temperature to 425 deg F. The gougeres will need another 20 or 25 minutes in the oven.

Serve them hot as nibbles before dinner. If you make them a little bigger they are an awesome accompaniment to tomato soup.