CHRISTMAS DESSERT
- 50 ml of milk
- 115 ml of water
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- pinch of sea salt
- 65 g Smiltenes Piens butter, cut into pieces
- 100 g of flour
- 3 - 4 eggs
- 500 ml of milk
- 1 vanilla pod
- 5 cardamom pods
- 5 medium egg yolks
- 150 g light brown or white sugar
- 60 g cornstarch
- 100 g Smiltenes Piens butter, cold, cut into pieces
- 400 ml Smiltenes Piens heavy cream
- 200 ml Smiltenes Piens heavy cream
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- 400 - 500 g defrosted raspberries
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Prepare the choux pastry. Pour the milk and water into a saucepan, add the salt, sugar and Smiltenes Piens butter and bring to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the flour, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon, until a smooth dough forms. Put the saucepan back on the heat and heat or dry the dough, stirring all the time, for about 2 minutes more. Remove the saucepan from the heat, put it in another bowl and set aside for 5 minutes.
With the mixer running slowly, add the eggs one at a time, mixing them in thoroughly. The dough should be smooth but also hold its shape when squeezed. Test by lifting the spoon – the dough should slide off the spoon within 5 seconds. Fill the pastry bag with the dough and form balls on the baking tray, 3 cm apart. Place in the oven to bake for 18 – 20 minutes. Do not open the oven door while baking! Take them out when they are beautifully golden. This is how you bake them all (you can convection bake, but I like one pan, top and bottom mode).
Prepare the pastry cream. Pour the milk into a saucepan, add the vanilla pod, cardamom and heat. Meanwhile, put the egg yolks in a bowl, add the sugar and stir with a hand whisk. Add the cornstarch. When the milk has come to a boil, pour it into the egg mixture in a slow stream, stirring gently all the time. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Cook until the cream thickens but is at the same time smooth. Remove from the heat, transfer to another bowl and keep for 5 minutes. Add the Smiltenes Piens butter and stir. Cover with cling film and leave to cool. When the cream is completely cooled, take it out of the fridge and add half of the Smiltenes Piens heavy cream. Whisk slowly to make the cream smooth. Then add the remaining heavy cream and whip again until you have a soft, smooth cream. Fill the cream into a pastry bag fitted with a fine tip and, pricking the bottom of the eclair, fill it.
Put the berries in a bowl, then the cream, then the profiteroles, cream, whipped cream and profiteroles. Serve after a few hours.
