Deconstructed prinjolata

Serves 6

Ingredients

For the choux pastry

• 120g butter
• 120g water
• 120ml milk
• 145g flour
• 6 eggs

For the filling

• 100g butter
• 200g biscuits
• 30g candied peel
• 30g hazelnuts
• 50g sugar

For the meringue

• 300g egg whites
• 300g sugar

For decoration

• chocolate
• cherries
• pine nuts

Method

1. For the pastry, combine the butter, water, milk and flour and bring them to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until flour is completely incorporated and a thick dough clumps into a ball.
2. Remove from heat, transfer dough into a bow and allow to cool..
3. Stir in 6 eggs, one at a time one until the desired texture is achieved; shiny, thick and smooth.
4. Place the mixture in a piping bag.
5. Drop the thick batter onto a baking sheet, forming separate blobs.
6. Preheat oven to 205 degrees. Bake the pastries for 20 minutes, then keeping the pastries in the oven, reduce oven to 177 degrees and continue to bake for 10-15 minutes until a golden brown colour is achieved.
7. Do not open the oven as the pastries cook, as this will prevent them from properly puffing up. Remove pastries from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack before filling.
8. Split open the pastries to fill.  
9. For the filling, mix all the ingredients by hand and spoon the filling into the pastries.
10. For the meringue, whisk egg whites until doubled in size, then add the sugar, until a stiff consistency is achieved. Top the pastry with the whipped meringue.
11. To decorate, top meringue with melted chocolate, cherries and pine nuts.

This recipe first appeared on Gourmet Today TV January 2019