Bocaditos de Nata – Cream Puffs
Little Cream-filled Choux-pastry Puffs Fried in Olive Oil
Nov 27, 2007
Spanish cuisine is based on olive oil, not only in savory dishes but also in the making of desserts or postres. Many of the delicious cakes and pastries are fried in olive oil as in the olden days the only method of cooking was an open fire.
Gas bottles didn’t appear in Spain until the 1970s, so the style of cooking is still very much top-of-the-cooker even for sponge cakes and pastries.
Try it, you’ll be surprised just how light and non-oily the cakes can be.
This recipe for little cream filled buns is based on a choux pastry recipe – the mixture is then dropped into the hot oil and lightly fried.
Bocaditos de Nata – Cream mouthfuls
Ingredients – for four people
- Olive oil for frying – the quantity depends on the size of pan used.
- 50ml whipping cream
- Icing sugar for sprinkling
- 125ml water
- Pinch of salt
- 4g sugar
- 50g butter
- 80g flour - sieved
- 2 large eggs
Method:
- In a small saucepan heat the water, salt, sugar and butter until it just comes to the boil. Remove from the heat.
- Add the sieved flour all in one go, and mix with a wooden spoon until it’s thick and mixed well. Put the pan back on the heat and cook the flour for a minute or two moving the mixture all the time, until it becomes thick and one solid mass.
- Transfer the mixture to a cold bowl. Whisk the eggs in a separate container, and then the eggs little by little to the dough. Beat the mixture well, it wants to be light in colour and texture.
- Make small balls of an equal size. Heat the oil but don’t let it smoke. When the oil is hot carefully add one ball at a time. Cook until lightly browned.
- The mixture expands greatly so add one at a time and let it grow before putting too many in the pan. Lift the cooked buns out onto kitchen paper to drain.
- When all the bocaditos have been cooked leave them to cool while whisking the cream into a nice thick piping consistency.
- Using a piping bag pipe the cream into the split buns y voila – tasting time.
- Don’t worry if the mixture isn’t thick enough to form balls (it happens to us all) just drop spoonfuls of the mix into the hot oil – they’ll be equally delicious!
Serving Suggestion:
Pile the buns into a pyramid shape, dredge with icing sugar and use the some mint leaves for decoration.
Serve with more cream, either whipped or runny, chocolate sauce and some chopped walnuts or almonds.
For a really quick and easy chocolate sauce use some chocolate spread, warm it briefly in the microwave and very slowly add some single cream until you get a nice pouring consistency.
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