There’s lots you can do with choux pastry dough. Its light, airy texture makes these versatile puffs great for more than just gougères and profiteroles. Surprise your guests with all manner of sweet or savory fillings like these cream cheese-filled savory choux topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano crisps, strawberries and radishes.
Strawberries with Parmigiano-Reggiano and cream cheese
If you’ve never tried strawberries with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, you should! The hard, crumbly Italian cheese is the perfect accompaniment, with its fruity, buttery aromatic links and umami-rich taste. Cream cheese contains the same caramellic, fruity-peach and coconut aroma molecules as found in strawberries, along with some cheesy, buttery-scented notes. Strawberries also have a green aromatic note that links them to radishes, which add a zesty accent to these festive tray-passed bites. 
Savory choux with strawberries, radishes and Parmigiano-Reggiano
Parmigiano-Reggiano crisps
preparation
- 78 g all-purpose flour
- 60 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
- 60 g unsalted butter
Mix all ingredients together to obtain a dough. Transfer your dough to a floured work surface and roll it out to a thickness of approximately 2 millimeters. Rest the dough, allowing it to cool for a bit before using a pastry cutter to cut small discs to fit the surface of your choux. Reserve and set aside.
Note: The cheesy discs should be about 10% smaller in diameter than the top surface of your piped choux.
Choux pastry
preparation
- 120 g water
- 120 g whole milk
- 120 g unsalted butter
- 10 g granulated sugar
- 145 g all-purpose flour, sifted
- 240 g eggs (approx. 5 whole eggs)
- 5 g salt
- a pastry bag with piping tip
Preheat the oven to 200°C
In a small saucepan, bring the water, milk, butter, salt and sugar to a boil. Remove the from heat and add the sifted flour to the liquid mixture. Using a wooden spoon, beat the until the flour is thoroughly incorporated.
Place the saucepan back on the stove over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the saucepan to form a pliable ball.
Next, transfer the dough to an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on medium speed. Gradually add the eggs one at a time, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl.
Brush a baking tray with some oil. If you have one, use a pastry bag fitted with a small piping tip to pipe the mini choux onto the tray. Carefully place the reserved Parmigiano-Reggiano discs over each choux. Transfer the choux to a 200ºC oven and bake for about 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the size.
Savory choux with strawberries, radishes and Parmigiano-Reggiano
preparation
- choux (recipe above)
- 25 g heavy cream
- 125 g cream cheese
- 100 g strawberry jam
- strawberries, thinly sliced
- a bunch of radishes, thinly sliced
- radish sprouts, for garnish
- salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- pastry bag with a piping tip
Fill a piping bag with strawberry jam. In a food processor, mix the cream and the cream cheese together until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the cream cheese mixture to a piping bag.
Pipe a small amount of strawberry jam into each choux. Next, pipe the cream cheese mixture into your choux, filling each one.
Arrange the radish slices in a circular pattern over the surface of each choux, then top with a slice of fresh strawberry and a pinch of radish sprouts.
