• This elegant dessert of plum choux crowns with rose cream will warm the hearts of your loved ones. Made with a fluffy choux pastry and perfectly paired with plums and rose cream, you cannot go wrong when you serve this recipe at your next dinner party! 

    Plum choux crowns with rose cream

    Ingredients

    • Choux pastry

    • 60ml (¼ cup) full-cream milk
    • 60ml (¼ cup) water
    • 50g butter, cubed
    • a pinch of salt
    • 2,5ml (½ tsp) castor sugar
    • 75g cake flour
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 egg yolk mixed with 15ml (1 tbsp)
    • milk, for egg wash
    • 30g flaked almonds
    • Plums

    • 80g castor sugar
    • 100g butter
    • 30ml (2 tbsp) lemon juice
    • 30ml (2 tbsp) water
    • 4 ripe medium plums
    • Rose cream

    • 125ml (½ cup) mascarpone
    • 15ml (1 tbsp) rose water
    • 125ml (½ cup) double thick cream, whipped
    • 30ml (2 tbsp) icing sugar, to serve
    • fresh or crystallised rose petals, to serve

    Instructions

    1

    Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a baking sheet. For the choux pastry, combine the milk, water, butter, salt, castor sugar and cake flour in a saucepan over gentle heat. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Mix in the flour vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth. Return the pan to the stove on gentle heat and stir for 1 minute to dry out the paste.

    2

    Transfer to a bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating with a wooden spoon or hand mixer until smooth and shiny.

    3

    Spoon the choux pastry into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle. Pipe 4 discs about 8 – 10cm in diameter. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with flaked almonds. Bake until golden and crisp, 20 – 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

    4

    For the plums, melt the castor sugar and butter in a saucepan over gentle heat, stirring. Add the lemon juice and water and allow to bubble for 4 minutes. Add the plums and cook gently, continuously basting with the sauce, for 5 – 8 minutes. You can leave the skin of the plums on or remove the skin before serving. Remove from heat and continuously baste until the plums are cool.

    5

    For the rose cream, fold the mascarpone and rose water into the whipped cream. Place the choux crowns on individual plates. Using a palette knife, place a plum in the middle of the choux crown and spoon a little of the sauce over the plums. Dust with icing sugar and decorate with fresh or crystallised rose petals. Serve the plums with the rose cream.