Filled mini petits-choux - Fyllda mini-petits-choux

FILLED MINI PETITS-CHOUX
Fyllda mini-petits-choux

Small petits-choux with some great filling are excellent to serve as an entrée or as a snack with a drink or with soup. Just remember not to open the oven door until they’re almost ready as they might sink and become flat! If you remember a dessert I posted some time ago, fruit with wine jelly (very decorative), that we made at university when I studied to become a dietician and we were assigned to make a wedding menu for a man who was only allowed to eat so and so many grams of fat per day, this was his entrée.

Approx 30 petits-choux

½ cup water

1 oz butter or margarine
1/3 cup flour
2 eggs

Caviar filling:

¾ cup crème fraîche
4 tablespoons caviar of your choice
3 to 4 tablespoons finely chopped onion

Ham filling:

¾ to 1 cup processed cheese
4 slices chopped smoked ham
4 to 5 tablespoons mustard, not the strong
Dijon mustard but a milder, sweeter type
2 sprigs chopped parsley

Decoration:

parsley or dill

Bring water and fat to a boil. Add all the flour at once and beat vigorously (and I mean really vigorously!) until the batter releases the bottom of the saucepan. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Add the eggs, one by one, and beat well until the batter is completely smooth before you add the next egg. Beat until smooth and glossy.

Dab or pipe out the batter on a greased baking plate (or use baking paper) in the shape of small balls. Bake in the middle of the oven at 390F for 15 to 20 minutes, until the petits-choux have puffed up and feel light. Cool on the plate for a few minutes, then gently transfer to a rack.

Filling: Blend together the ingredients to one of the fillings (or both, of course!). Use a scissors to cut an opening in the side of each petit-chou and insert the filling. Decorate with parsley or dill.

Enjoy!

Bella