Fruit-filled choux buns with caramel sauce

• butter↗85g g
• plain flour↗100g g

  sifted

• salt↗pinch pinch
• eggs↗3 3

  beaten

• butter↗50g g
• soft brown sugar↗5 tbsp tbsp
• carton double cream↗142ml ml
• carton double cream↗142 or 284 ml ml

  depending on how creamy you like them

• icing sugar↗1 tbsp tbsp

  sifted

• dessert wine↗3 tbsp tbsp

  (sweet Muscat works well)

• peaches↗2 2

  stoned and sliced

• pack blueberries↗150g g

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Have a set of electric beaters ready to go. Put the butter and 200ml cold water into a medium saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Take off the heat and immediately tip in the flour and salt. Beat for 30 secs or until you have a smooth paste that leaves the sides of the pan. Tip onto a dinner plate, spread out and leave to cool.

2. 2

   Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 and line a large baking sheet with non-stick baking paper. Once the paste has cooled, return to the pan. Add the eggs a little at a time and, using the beaters, totally incorporate the egg before adding the next batch. Keep going until you have a smooth, glossy paste that drops easily from a spoon.

3. 3

   Using two dessertspoons, spoon the mix onto the sheet in 6 large even, round-ish blobs. Bake for 20-25 mins, until dark golden and risen. When cool enough to handle, poke a small hole in the bottom of each using a knife or teaspoon handle (this lets the steam out, preventing them from getting soggy). Return to the oven for 5 more mins, then cool on a wire rack. At this point, the buns can be cooled and kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to a month. Refresh in a hot oven for 5 mins and cool before using.

4. 4

   To make the sauce, heat all the ingredients together in a small pan for 5 mins, stirring now and again until silky and smooth.

5. 5

   For the cream filling, softly whip the cream, sugar and wine together in a large bowl – stop before it’s completely whipped, as it will continue to firm up as you fill the buns.

6. 6

   Split the buns along the middle. Spoon in the cream, tuck in slices of peach and a few blueberries and serve straight away with a drizzle of the caramel sauce.