Strawberry Cream Buns

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

• 150 gm (all-purpose) flour
• A pinch of salt
• 300 ml water
• 50 gm butter
• 2 eggs, beaten

For the filling and topping:

• 225 gm strawberries
• 25 gm caster sugar
• 5 ml lemon juice
• 150 ml heavy cream
• A little icing sugar, for dusting

Method:

To make the pastry:

1. Sift the flour and salt on to a sheet of greaseproof paper.
2. In a saucepan, heat the water and butter until the butter melts. Bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and add the flour all in one go.
3. Beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
4. Beat in the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition, until smooth and glossy but still holding its shape.
5. Put 15 ml of the mixture, well apart, on greased baking (cookie) sheets.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7 for 10 minutes.
7. Reduce the heat to 180°C/ 350°F/gas mark 4 and continue cooking for a further 20 minutes until puffy and golden brown in color.
8. Transfer to a wire rack and make a slit in the side of each bun to allow the steam to escape.

To make the filling:

1. Reserve a few strawberries with stalks on for decoration and chop the remainder. Mix with the caster sugar and lemon juice.
2. Whip the cream until stiff and fold in the strawberry mixture. Use to fill the buns.
3. Pile on a serving plate, dust with a little sifted icing sugar and decorate with the reserved strawberries.