Great British Bake Off special: Puits d’Amour (‘Wells of Love’) 

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Great British Bake Off special: Puits d’Amour (‘Wells of Love’)

By Prue Leith

Published: | Updated:

PRUE LEITH 

MAKES 9

1 portion rough puff pastry (find Prue’s foolproof puff pastry method under ‘browse all recipes’ at thegreatbritishbakeoff.co.uk) or 1 pack shop-bought puff pastry

4½ tsp demerara sugar

FOR THE COMPOTE

250g strawberries, hulled

25g caster sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

50g raspberries

FOR THE CREME PATISSIERE 

500ml whole milk

½ vanilla pod, split, seeds scraped, pod reserved

100g caster sugar

4 egg yolks

40g cornflour

40g unsalted butter

FOR THE CHOUX PASTRY 

55g unsalted butter, diced

pinch salt

70g plain flour

2 eggs, beaten

beaten egg, for brushing

nibbed sugar, for sprinkling

  • For the compote, tip the strawberries into a pan with the sugar and lemon juice. Cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the raspberries and cook for a further 5-10 minutes, until reduced to a thick compote (but not a jam). Remove from the heat, cool, then chill.
  • For the crème pâtissière, put the milk in a pan with the vanilla pod and seeds. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat. Whisk the sugar, yolks and cornflour together in a large bowl. Whisk a little hot milk into the sugar and egg mixture, then whisk in the rest of the hot milk until well combined. Return to the pan. Cook over a gentle heat, stirring until it thickens.
  • Remove from the heat and pass through a sieve into a clean bowl. Add the butter and stir until melted. Leave to cool, cover with clingfilm and chill until cold.
  • Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Lightly dust the worktop, roll out the puff pastry to a 35cm square. Using a 10cm cutter, cut out 9 discs. Place on baking sheets and prick each disc all over with a fork. Chill for 30 minutes.
  • For the choux pastry, place the butter, salt and 150ml of water in a medium pan. Heat gently to melt the butter, then bring to the boil. Immediately remove from the heat and tip in the flour. Beat with a wooden spoon to form a smooth ball of dough that leaves the sides of the pan.
  • Vigorously beat the 2 eggs into the hot dough, a little at a time, until the dough is stiff and glossy. You may not need all the egg – stop if the dough becomes loose. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain nozzle.
  • Pipe the choux in a circle 5mm in from the edge of each disc. Brush each choux ring with beaten egg and sprinkle with nibbed sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until puffed, crisp and golden. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • To assemble, spoon the crème pâtissière into a piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm plain nozzle. Spoon the strawberry compote into the pastry shells and pipe the crème pâtissière over the top. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of demerara sugar on top of each and, using a blowtorch, brûle the sugar. Serve immediately.