Parmesan and smoked garlic gougères

Method

• step 1

  Heat the butter, salt, garlic and 90ml water in a large pan until it comes to the boil. In a bowl, mix the flour, cayenne and white pepper, then, 1 tbsp at a time, add the mixture to the pan, stirring constantly over a low heat. When the choux dough is smooth and coming away cleanly from the sides of the pan, remove from the heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Tip the dough into a large, wide bowl and, 1 at a time, beat in the eggs, only adding more egg once the previous one is fully incorporated. Fold ¹/2 the parmesan through the dough and put into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm nozzle.

• step 2

  Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Pipe the dough onto baking-paper-lined trays in 8 x 4cm rounds spaced 2-3cm apart, sprinkle each with the remaining parmesan and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 170C/fan 150C/gas 3, without opening the door, for 5 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

• step 3

  To make the cream, heat the milk with the garlic and parmesan, bring to the boil then pass through a fine sieve and cool.

• step 4

  Mix the infused milk with the double cream and use electric beaters to whisk until soft peaks, then scrape into a piping bag and chill.

• step 5

  Use a serrated knife to cut the buns in half and pipe a generous amount of the parmesan cream onto the base. Put on the lid and grate over more parmesan.