Chouxnut- Cruller Doughnuts Filled With Praline Cream

Chouxnuts got their name from choux [pronounced: shoo] pastry, although they have many more names and many different origins. Italian doughnuts, French doughnuts, Spanish doughnuts, nest doughnuts or crullers. Whtever the name, they are all made with a choux dough, the same dough used to make eclairs and profiteroles, but instead of baked they are fried.

Unlike traditional doughnuts, chouxnuts are light and airy inside and very crispy on the outside. A little bit like churros. They can be filled with a variety of fillings or just glazed, and since the actual dough doesn't have any sugar, all the flavour comes from filling and/or glaze.

FOR 12 DOUGHNUTS:

CHOUX PASTRY:

• 120G BUTTER
• 250ML WATER
• 180G PLAIN FLOUR
• PINCH OF SALT
• 4-5 EGGS

CREME PATISSERIE:

• 350ML MILK (WHOLE MILK IS BEST, BUT SKIMMED WILL WORK ALSO)
• 4 EGG YOLKS
• 10G PLAIN FLOUR
• 30G CORNFLOUR
• 120G POWDERED SUGAR

PRALINE:

USING COFFEE GRINDER:

• 100G NUTS (HAZELNUTS, ALMONDS, PEANUTS OR MIXED)
• 80G SUGAR

USING FOOD PROCESSOR:

• 300G NUTS
• 240G SUGAR

GLAZE:

• 200G POWDERED SUGAR
• 2-3 TABLESPOON WATER
• FLAVOURING - OPTIONAL

ADDITIONALLY:

• OIL FOR FRYING (AT LEAST 750ML)
• CANDY THERMOMETER
• PIPING BAGS
• PIPING NOZZLES- LARGE, STAR SHAPED FOR DOUGHNUTS AND LONG, THIN ONE FOR FILLING

Choux pastry is very easy to make. First you have to measure out the flour and keep it in a separate bowl. Then, combine water, butter and salt in a saucepan and heat it up until butter melts and the whole mixture starts to boil. Once it's boiling, you have to dump all the flour into the pan in one go and mix it quickly until the dough forms. Cook it for 2-3 more minutes on medium heat until dough is no longer sticking to the pan. Transfer the dough onto a plate while still hot and cover with a layer of cling film immediately. Leave it to cool down completely before the next step.

Once the dough is cold, transfer it to a bowl and use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to incorporate eggs.

Add one egg at the time and mix thoroughly before adding another egg. Once you've added your 3rd egg and incorporated it, you have to add another egg more carefully. To do that, break your 4th egg into a separate bowl and whisk it with a fork. Then, add half the egg mixture to the dough and if the dough isn't ready, add more egg. Sometimes, depending on egg sizes, you have to add even more eggs. You have to be careful with this step, since you can always add more eggs, but you can't take them away.

You will know the choux dough is ready when it's silky and smooth and holds it's shape when you move it with a spoon.

The bigger the piping nozzle, the bigger the chouxnut will be. Keep in mind that they puff up quite a lot and rise almost twice in height. Large size might be fine for a simple glazed doughnut, but if it's a filled doughnut, you will need to use more filling, thus making the doughnut heavier and more difficult to eat.

The most optimal size for a doughnut would be 3 inches in diameter (before frying) piped with a 13-15mm piping nozzle.

(Last two pictures show the difference between raw and fried dough.)

Transfer the dough into a piping bag with a star tip attached. Star tip gives the doughnut more texture. All those crevices, once fried, will make the chouxnut more crispy.

Prepare a sheet of non stick baking parchment, spray it with a cooking spray or brush a thin layer of oil on the surface. Pipe the doughnuts onto the paper. Once piped, use scissors to cut the doughnuts out.

If you have any leftover dough, pipe it onto a paper anyway and fry it as a test piece or a small snack.

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan. The bigger the pan, the easier it will be to control the temperature, but you will need to use more oil. I used 750ml of oil and a medium size pan that fitted 2 doughnuts at the same time (sunflower oil is difficult to get by these days).

You need the oil to be between 175 and 185 C at all times, so not only do you have to constantly monitor the temperature, but you will also have to take the pan on and off the heat periodically (if the temperature soars too high or goes too low).

If you have a deep fat fryer at home, it's a good time to take it out., as it will be much easier to use than a regular pan.

Once the desired temperature is reached, gently plop doughnuts into the oil, don't overcrowd the pan, put 1-3 at the time, depending on the size of the pan. After 1 minute, use tongs to remove the paper squares from the pan.

Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side. Fish the doughnuts out and place them on a cooling rack or a plate lined with kitchen towels.

Whisk powdered sugar and 2 tbs water until there are no lumps. If the glaze is still too thick, gradually add more water. You want the glaze to be thin enough to drip down the doughnut and get into all the crevices.

Dip each doughnut in the glaze, shake to get rid of any excess and transfer to a plate to dry. You can also use a pastry brush to help distribute the glaze evenly.

Sprinkle any decorations like chopped nuts or chocolate before the glaze sets.

You can use a store-bought praline and save yourself a lot of work, but if you decide to make it yourself, make sure you have necessary equipment to pulverise the nuts and caramel. You can use coffee/spice grinder to make a small batch, or food processor to make a larger batch. Leftover praline will keep for at least 2 weeks and can be used in other desserts, with ice cream or shamefully eaten with a spoon...it's really addictive.

Nut preparation:

Choose your nuts, either one type or a mix of different ones. They have to be toasted in an oven for 5-7 minutes at 180C. If you are using hazelnuts, you have to remove the skin. Almonds, pecans and walnuts can be used with the skin on as it's much thinner than hazelnuts. Use whole nuts, slivers, flakes or chopped pieces.

Make caramel:

Dissolve sugar in a heavy bottomed pan, cook until caramel reaches to 160-170C and turns dark brown. Take of the heat and immediately transfer onto a flat baking sheet lined with non-stick baking parchment. Leave to cool down completely.

Praline paste:

Break the caramel into smaller pieces and transfer to a coffee grinder. Add nuts and pulverise. This process will take 5-10 minutes. You will go from powdered caramel and nuts, to a coarse mixture. After few minutes, nuts will start to release the oils and mixture will start to liquify. Continue to grind it until praline is smooth and there is no grittiness to the paste.

Creme patisserie is basically a thicker version of custard. There are a few ways to make it and the one I'm using ensures smooth and lump free texture.

1. Whisk all ingredients in a separate bowl until all lumps are dissolved.
2. Pass it through a sieve (directly into a non-stick pan). This step is important, as it will get rid of any flour lumps or broken egg shells.
3. Cook the liquid over medium heat and stir continuously until it begins to thicken.
4. Once it's thickened, continue stirring and cook for further 2-3 minutes.
5. Spread the creme over a large plate and cover with cling film while still hot. You want the cling film to touch the mixture. This will prevent the forming of the 'custard skin'.
6. Leave it to cool down.

Finally, once all ingredients are cold, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to make the filling.

Measure:

• 400g of creme patisserie
• 150-180g praline paste (or more if you want)
• 100g of softened butter

and whip until smooth.

If you don't have a special filling nozzle, you can improvise with a plastic or metal straw, or any type of small metal tube.

Use a chopstick to poke 2-3 holes at the sides of the doughnut, push the nozzle through each hole and pipe the filling.

Sprinkle the glaze with chopped nuts, small pieces of toffee or chocolate.