Mini Choux with Thyme-Infused Goats Cheese Mousse
We are very lucky to have found a second home in the beautiful countryside near Sancerre, France. Best known for its delightful white wine, the area’s rolling hills are covered in lush green grapevines while flat fields are home to colza, wheat, barley and sunflowers. And occasionally, just occasionally, you can catch a glimpse of the goats for which the region is also known.
For some odd reason, the goat farms of Chavignol and Sancerre are mostly barns where goats live indoors year round. I would have thought that fresh clover, grass and meadow flowers would produce tastier milk than a diet of hay and straw. Luckily, goat raiser and cheese maker Céline of the Chèvrerie de la Ferrière thinks otherwise. Céline’s happy chappies – or rather lucky ladies because most of them are of course females who produce the milk – spend lots of time running around and eating outside in periods of clement weather and their milk makes cheese that tastes amazingly fresh. Céline uses unpasteurised milk and lets it mature naturally into the traditional crottin shape.
I am spoiled and only buy my crottins de Chavignol from Céline, and eat them in various ways. Fresh ones spread on fresh bread, maybe a little jam on top for a sweet/savoury combination at breakfast – pardon me while I swoon – while medium mature ones split open and grilled to a golden brown then served on top of fragrant salad leaves make a wonderful quick lunch or savoury starter at dinner time.
And so is this recipe for mini choux buns filled with thyme-infused goats cheese mousse, made from the freshest soft goats cheese that you can buy. Soft goats cheese is available in the UK, the US and undoubtedly in Oz in little squarish containers. Some brands are imported from France and lately there is a UK goat farmer who makes quite a good product available in supermarkets. Have a look, the recipe is really worth it!
Mini Choux with Thyme-Infused Goats Cheese Mousse
One batch of Thermomix choux pastry dough makes loads of mini choux that your cocktail party guests will gobble up in no time! The mousse can be used in many ways, such as in my shots of beetroot purée, so use your imagination!
Thermomix Choux Pastry
This is the basic choux pastry recipe from Fast and Easy Cooking by Janie Turner. You can use it to make both sweet and savoury choux, as per the instructions. Take care to use medium or large eggs but not jumbo, as too large eggs will make your dough too moist and your choux will be all flat 🙁 It is sooooo easy to make choux pastry with your Thermomix, you’ll never make it any other way. And if you’re like me, you’ll find you’re making it way too often – at least as far as your diet is concerned! A delightful variation of this recipe is Gougères, where strong-flavoured cheese is added to the pastry to make savoury treats that are perfect with white wine.
Ingredients
150 g water
80 g butter
1 tsp. salt
(1 Tbsp sugar for those times when you make sweet choux pastry)
120 g strong flour
3 medium eggs
Method
- Mix and heat the water, butter, salt (and sugar if using for a sweet recipe but not for this savoury treat!) 5 minutes/100° C/Speed 1.
- Add the flour and mix 1 ½ minutes/Speed 3.
- Take the TM bowl off the base and set aside to cool for 20 minutes. (Make yourself a cuppa and have a sit down!) Preheat your oven to 220° C/425° F/Gas Mark 7.
- Add the eggs one at a time through the hole in the TM lid onto the running blades at Speed 5, then continue to mix 30 seconds/Speed 5.
- Turn out; shape and bake as required for your recipe. Here we will scrape the luscious buttery dough into a piping bag and pipe out wee little choux buns, about 2 cm or ¾ inch in diameter, onto a greased or paper-lined flat baking tray. Bake 10 to 20 minutes according to your oven and your choux size (oh I love it, choux size/shoe size). I set my timer for 10 minutes, have a quick look to see how brown they are, and continue as required. The batch in these pictures was made in a tiny Tefal counter-top oven and is the best batch I’ve ever made, so size is not everything 😉
- Remove from oven and let cool. Now make the mousse filling.
Thyme-Infused Goats Cheese Mousse
This delicately-flavoured mousse can be used in many savoury dishes to add depth and provide a creamy texture. I have used it many times to top shots of beetroot purée as the combination of tastes is gorgeous!
Ingredients
100 ml double cream
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
A pinch of salt
150 g French (or English!) mild goats’ cheese
Several turns of freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Infuse double cream with thyme and salt 5 minutes/90° C/Speed 2; let stand in TM bowl for about 10 minutes then strain into a shallow dish to cool completely. Discard thyme. Chill in fridge at least 30 minutes. (Don’t skimp on this or your cream will be too warm to whip.)
- Mix the goats’ cheese with pepper 20 seconds/speed 5. Scrape sides of TM bowl and insert butterfly whisk. With blades running at Speed 4, pour infused cream through hole in lid and continue whisking about 2 minutes or until peaks start to form and just lightly hold.
- Put into piping bag and let set in fridge a good 15 minutes. Madame Thermomix’s Top Tip: Stand your piping bag upright in a tall glass to fill and place upright in the door of the fridge to chill.
To fill your mini choux
- Using another nozzle from your piping bag, prick a small hole in the bottom of each mini choux. This saves time and keeps the nozzle from clogging when you pipe in the filling.
- When the mousse has set, remove from fridge and pipe a small amount into each choux bun. If making ahead or if it’s hot out, it’s best to keep the finished choux chilled until serving so the cheese and cream don’t spoil. I have never had to do this, though, as I make them just before the party and they are gone in a flash!
Serve with a chilled Sauvignon Blanc such as a French Sancerre by Gérard Boulay or a New Zealand Clos Henri by Domaine Henri Bourgeois.
Bon appétit !
