Before you start, you’ll need to make sure you have all the ingredients – so if you have to shop, be careful out there and take all the precautions.
Choux pastry
This pastry comes from France, and is used to make eclairs, cream puffs and profiteroles. Choux pastry is tricky and needs very careful measuring and handling of ingredients:
Ingredients:
- ½ cup of water
- ½ cup of milk
- ½ cup of butter
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- 2 teaspoons of sugar
- 1 cup of white flour
- 4 beaten eggs
Slowly heat water, butter, milk, salt and sugar, stirring until the butter has melted. Simmer, reduce heat and add the flour, stirring until you have a thick dough. Mash the dough against the side of the pot for a minute. Take off the heat, allow to cool and add the eggs slowly, beating the mixture in between.
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C and line baking sheets with baking paper. Brush the paper with water to keep pastry bottoms from burning. Put dough into a piping bag, and pipe your desired shape onto the baking sheets about 8cm apart. Bake for 20 minutes, turn down the heat to 180°C and continue for 10 more minutes. Your choux should be golden brown. Do not open the oven! The cooler air you let in will stop your choux from puffing properly.
Allow your choux to cool before adding filling: whipped cream, lemon curd, jam or a combination. Either slice your pastry or pipe the filling through a hole.
Consommé
There are a few delicate steps to making consommé but it’s one way to deal with that chicken carcase, French style.
Ingredients:
- 1 cooked chicken carcass (skin and fat removed)
- 1 medium onion (skin on, halved)
- 1 large carrot (washed and roughly chopped)
- 1 celery stalk (washed and roughly chopped)
- 1 clove garlic
- Small handful fresh tarragon
- Large handful Italian parsley (leaves and stalks)
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 large egg whites
- Optional: 2 to 3 drops gravy-browning
- Salt and pepper
Put everything except egg whites and gravy browning in a pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Simmer gently for up to 2 hours, adding water to keep the ingredients covered. Taste the stock, and cook longer if necessary. Strain through a colander and discard the solids. Bring the liquid up to heat, and reduce by ¼.
Refrigerate for an hour, and skim any fat from the surface. Beat in the egg whites, and bring the liquid to a boil, whisking constantly. Add the gravy browning at this point for a darker liquid. Simmer without stirring for 15 minutes, until an egg-white crust forms. Place clean muslin in a sieve over a bowl, and ladle the crust into the sieve. Slowly pour the liquid over the crust, allowing the liquid to seep through before adding more. Reheat the liquid to serve or store in the fridge.
Keep busy and treat your bubble
None of this delicious cooking is rocket science – it just takes time and attention. In lockdown, you have time, and having something to pay attention to can make that time go by. Treat the people in your bubble, and you won’t regret it!