BeebRecipes.co.uk
Archive of BBC Food Recipes

Religieuse

Prep time 1-2 hours
Cook time 1-2 hours
Makes 8
Dietary Vegetarian
From The Great British Bake Off
Impress with this traditional French pastry made up of two choux buns filled with pastry cream, topped with chocolate ganache and decorated with a whipped cream ‘collar’. Equipment and preparation: You will need a piping bag with a 1.5cm/ ¾in plain nozzle, a small star nozzle and a long thin nozzle (or you could use a jam syringe) and a skewer.

Method


  1. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Line a baking tray with baking parchment and draw onto it eight circles 5cm/2in wide and another eight circles 2.5cm/1in wide. Put the butter in a heavy-based saucepan with 150ml/5fl oz of water and heat over a medium heat until the butter melts. Bring the mixture to the boil and then immediately remove from the heat.

  2. Quickly tip in the flour. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a soft ball. Return to the heat and cook over a low heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly.

  3. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Gradually add the eggs, beating well between each addition to form a smooth, shiny paste. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm/ ½in plain nozzle.

  4. Pipe round discs onto the baking tray in the marked circles and, using a damp finger, smooth over the top of each disc. Bake in the centre of the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 190C/375F/Gas 5 and cook for a further 10-15 minutes. Remove the choux buns from the oven and pierce each bun with a skewer to allow the steam to escape. Return to the oven for 4-5 minutes to dry out. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.

  5. For the crème pâtissière filling, pour the milk and vanilla seeds into a heavy-based pan and bring gradually to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 30 seconds. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and caster sugar until pale, then whisk in the cornflour and plain flour. Pour the vanilla-infused milk onto the eggs, whisking continuously, then pour back into the pan.

  6. Bring back to the boil, whisking continuously over a medium heat and cook for one minute. Pour the crème pâtissière into a bowl. Cover the surface with cling film to prevent a skin from forming and leave to cool. Transfer to the fridge to chill.

  7. For the chocolate ganache icing, bring the cream to the boil in a small pan. Remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and stir until melted and shiny. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool. Transfer the fridge to chill until the ganache has thickened to a spreadable consistency.

  8. To assemble the religieuse, spoon the cold crème pâtissière into a piping bag fitted with a long thin nozzle (or alternatively you can use a jam syringe). Fill the choux buns with the crème pâtissière.

  9. Dip the filled buns into the chocolate ganache to coat half-way up the sides. Sit the small buns on top of the larger buns.

  10. For the collars, whip the cream in a mixing bowl until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl. Spoon the cream into a piping bag fitted with a small star nozzle. Pipe lines of cream around the join where the small bun sits on top of the large bun to form a collar.

Ingredients

  • 60g/2¼oz butter, cut into cubes
  • 75g/2½oz plain flour
  • 2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten

For the crème pâtissière filling

  • 500ml/18fl oz full-fat milk
  • 1 vanilla pod, seeds only
  • 6 medium free-range egg yolks
  • 75g/2½oz caster sugar
  • 20g/¾oz cornflour
  • 25g/1oz plain flour

For the chocolate ganache icing

  • 150ml/5fl oz double cream
  • 200g/7oz plain chocolate (around 36% cocoa solids) broken into pieces

For the collar

  • 150ml/5fl oz double cream

Shopping List

Religieuse

Tins, packets and jars

Cooking ingredients

Biscuits, snacks and sweets

Dairy, eggs and chilled


This link may stop to work if/when the BBC removes the recipes
This site is under development - You can use it, but some things are not completed and may not be quite right!