Rhubarb cream puffs
Pretty, delicate and perfect for pudding or a tea party, these rhubarb cream puffs will be gobbled up with gusto, says Miranda Gore Browne
Ingredients
You will need
Rolling pin, low-sided baking tray, 2 x non-stick baking paper, tin foil, a round pastry cutter, balloon whisk or electric hand whisk, a small sieve, spoon or piping bag, and edible flowers
- 500g puff pastry
- 300g rhubarb, washed and trimmed
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 40g caster sugar
- 2 tbsp strawberry jam
- Icing sugar to sift on top
- 300ml double cream,
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
Method
- For the pastry: Roll out the puff pastry with a little flour to about half a centimetre or thinner.
- Use a cutter to cut into rounds and carefully lift each one onto a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper.
- Dust with sieved icing sugar and pop into the oven to bake for 10-15 minutes at 200 degrees, or until golden and puffed up.
- For the roasted rhubarb: Finely slice the rhubarb into little sticks and lay them on a low sided baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper.
- Sprinkle over the caster sugar and leave to sit at room temperature for about half an hour.
- Grate over the orange zest and then cover the sugared rhubarb with tin foil.
- Put into a hot oven to roast for about 15-20 minutes (180 degrees) or until still pink but soft and tender.
- Lift out of the oven and leave to cool on the tray.
- For the cream: Put the double cream into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and add a teaspoon of vanilla and 1 tablespoon of icing sugar. Whip until soft and thick.
- Take the puff pastry rounds out of the oven and leave to cool completely on their baking tray.
- Use your fingertips to gently split each of puff pastry discs into two pieces.
- Lay the puff pastry discs in their pairs on the worktop.
- Spread a thin layer of strawberry jam on the cut side of the bottom piece of each half of puff pastry, carefully spoon some of the rhubarb on top and then pipe or spoon on a generous dollop of the whipped cream.
- Put the top half of the pastry case on top of each one and put them onto a pretty serving plate or board.
- Dust with icing sugar and decorate with a few edible flowers. Serve straight away with the rest of the cream and roasted rhubarb on the side.