Ingredients

• 100g/3½oz unsalted butter
• cut into roughly 1cm/½in cubes
• pinch of salt
• 130g/4¾oz strong white flour
• 1 tbsp chopped thyme
• 4 free-range eggs
• beaten
• 25g/½oz parmesan (or a similar vegetarian hard cheese)
• finely grated
• 25g/½oz unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large banana shallot
• sliced
• 600g/1lb 5oz mixed mushrooms
• roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• chopped
• 1 tsp thyme leaves
• 2 tbsp dry sherry
• 200g/7oz crème fraîche
• ½ lemon
• juice only
• 1 tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
• To make the choux buns
• put the butter
• salt and 300ml/10fl oz water into a large saucepan. Heat gently until the butter has melted
• then bring to the boil. Immediately remove from the heat and tip in the flour and thyme. Beat with a wooden spoon to form a smooth ball of dough that should leave the sides of the pan.
• Now vigorously beat the eggs into the hot dough
• a little at a time. This takes some elbow grease! As you add the egg
• the dough will become stiff and glossy. Stop adding the egg if the dough starts to become loose – but you should use up all or most of it.
• Put the dough in four large blobs
• each about 10cm/4in across
• on the prepared baking tray. (Alternatively
• you can pipe the choux onto the tray.) Sprinkle the parmesan over the dough.
• Bake for 30 minutes in the centre of the oven until well risen and golden-brown. Then move to the bottom shelf for a further 10 minutes to ensure the centres are cooked. The buns should be crisp and dry.
• Remove from the oven and split one side of each bun to allow the steam to escape. Put on a wire rack to cool.
• For the filling
• melt the butter with the oil in a large frying pan. Add the shallot and gently fry for a few minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the mushrooms
• garlic and thyme. Cook for around 10 minutes over a high heat
• stirring often
• until the mushrooms are reduced in volume by about half
• are buttery and soft and their liquid has evaporated.
• Add the sherry and crème fraîche and simmer for around 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced.
• Stir in the lemon juice and parsley and season with salt and plenty of black pepper.
• Cut each choux bun fully in half
• fill with the warm mushroom mixture and serve.