Cream-filled chou pastry

Cool the baked shells completely before filling them. Pipe thick, chilled cream through a small hole in the base just before serving; filling them well ahead softens the crisp shell.

Keep it covered in the fridge and eat it within a day for the best texture. Don’t leave cream-filled pastries at room temperature for more than two hours.

Freezing filled pastries usually makes the shell and cream watery or soft as they thaw. Freeze the empty baked shells instead, then crisp them in a 160 °C oven for about 5 minutes and cool before filling.

Both are made from choux pastry and can be filled with cream; profiteroles are usually small, round pastries served in a group, often with chocolate sauce. The name cream-filled chou pastry describes the pastry and filling rather than one particular serving style.

Serve it with coffee or tea, or add fresh berries and a little sharp fruit sauce to balance the rich filling. Small cream-filled choux also work in a croquembouche, a tower traditionally joined with caramel.

Yes: bake the shells a day ahead and keep them in an airtight container once fully cool. Re-crisp them at 160 °C for about 5 minutes, cool completely, then pipe in the cream shortly before serving.

Yes: custard cream-filled chou pastry has 7.3 g of fat per 100 g, compared with 23 g in cream-filled chou pastry. The custard-filled version also has more carbohydrate: 34.9 g versus 25 g per 100 g.