Damson and Apple Choux Buns

A fruit alternative to the usual profiterole

You will need:

For the choux pastry-

65g of butter

150ml of water

75g of plain flour

2 eggs

For the damson apple filling

2 apples

1 lemon

2 tbsp of damson jam

2 tbsp of caster sugar 

For the lemon yogurt filling

3 tbsp of low fat yogurt

Damson glace topping

75g of icing sugar

1 tbsp of boiling water

1 tsp of damson jam

Preheat the oven to 200c and line a baking tray with grease proof paper. Place 65g of butter and 150ml of water into a saucepan on a low heat, gently heat the mixture until the butter melts and the mixture begins to boil. Remove from the heat and quickly add the flour, beating with a wooden spoon. Return the pan to a low heat and beat the mixture hard until it forms a hard, dry dough. Allow the mixture to cool for 2 to 3 minutes. While this cools, crack two eggs into a jug and whisk the eggs and prepare a piping bag. Once the dough mixture has cooled, gradually add the egg whilst whisking with a wooden spoon (beating the mixture hard) until it forms a stiff paste. Immediately pipe blobs of the dough onto a lined baking tray, 3mm apart. Place in the oven and bake until they turn golden brown. When baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool fully before filling.

While those cool, prepare the fillings and toppings.

Finely chop the apples and place into a pan with the sugar, the zest of half a lemon and damson jam (add a little water to help mixing and reducing). Heat over a medium setting until the fruit softens and the juice is thick.

Place the yogurt and the zest of half a lemon in a bowl and mix until completely combined.

For the damson glace icing, put the hot water and damson jam into a bowl and stir until combined (this will help even out the distribution of the jam in the icing). Then add the icing sugar and mix until thick and the jam is evenly mixed throughout.

Once the choux buns have cooled, use a serrated knife to cut them in half. Then, use a spoon to spread the glace icing on the top half of the bun. Use a tablespoon to place the damson apple filling on the bottom segment and a teaspoon a small amount of the yogurt on top of the damson apple filling. Then sandwich the top and bottom segments together.

Tip: If you would like a smoother finish to the damson apple filling, you can put it in a food processor.

Enjoy! x