Mmmvelopes™

Bacon flavoured evelopes. Take that, email. By the good people at J&D's.

All Saints Day

Canapé time, for an All Saints Day soiree in Obuda. I was happy with these, my first effort at gougères, a sort of savoury profiterole. The sweet, earthy filling contrasts well with the piquant savouriness of the pastry.

Cheese and chive gougères with chicken, Jerusalem artichoke and hazelnut filling


This recipe makes 40 gougères, with enough leftover chicken for another meal.

Start the day before. Put a whole chicken in a large pot and cover with water. Add a chopped leek, carrot and celery rib, 2 garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, a sprig of rosemary, 6 peppercorns and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a gentle boil and then simmer, lid on, for 1hr30. Remove from heat and allow to cool before picking the meat from the carcass. Sieve and keep the stock – you'll get over 2 litres of goodness, perfect for risotto. Shred the meat with two forks.

Thinly peel 10 Jerusalem artichokes. Cut into equal sizes and simmer in slightly salted water until just soft. Careful not to overcook them or they'll absorb water and the flavour will suffer. While they are cooking, make ½ cup vinaigrette of equal amounts white wine/vermouth and the chicken stock, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp honey, seasoning and a glug of neutral oil, e.g. grape-seed. Drain the chokes, and the vinaigrette and leave to cool. Chop the artichokes into smallish dice and mix, together with the vinaigrette, with 1 cup chicken and a small handful toasted, chopped hazelnuts (to toast, place the nuts on a baking tray at 175°C for 6 minutes – once cooled slightly, rub them together to remove most of the loose skin). Add 1 tsp lemon juice,, 1 tbl chopped parsley and check for seasoning. You're looking for a wet, glossy mixture, so add a little stock to loosen if necessary.

The above can all be done in advance. The gougères are best prepared an hour or so before they're needed.

Preheat the oven to 190°C, and line 2 baking sheets with paper.

Put 1 cup water, 120g butter and ½ tsp salt in a saucepan. Cook, stirring the butter to melt and mix, and then bring to a rolling boil. Turn off and remove from the heat and add 1 cup of cake flour. Beat the mixture with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until it starts to pull away from the pan and is well mixed. Let it cool without stirring for 5 minutes.

Now, work in 4 eggs, 1 at a time, beating the mixture well with the spoon after each addition – it will look glossy at first, but once each egg is incorporated, the mixture will become sticky and harder to beat. You'll need to give it some welly – don't be timid. After adding the last egg, beat in ¼ tsp cayenne, 1 ½ tsp English mustard powder, and then 1 ½ cups cheddar and 2 tbl chopped chives.

Scoop up a heaped teaspoon of mixture and use another teaspoon to push it onto the paper-lined sheet. Leave 3cm space between each mound. Bake for 25 minutes, switching tray positions half way through. You may need to do this in batches. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before cutting open and spooning in a teaspoon of the filling. Serve whilst still warm if possible.