Hot cross choux creams

1. Heat your oven to 220C.

2. Bring the milk, butter and 1/2 cup of water to a simmer in a small saucepan, then beat in the flour with a heatproof spatula until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan. Remove from heat and press the base of the pan onto a wet tea towel to cool it rapidly. Stand for 5 minutes, then beat in 4 eggs with the spatula, one at a time.

3. Transfer mixture to a thick piping bag with a 12mm nozzle. 

4. While the batter is still warm, pipe 3cm circles onto a piece of baking paper, pulling up each one to form a point and leaving a gap of at least 2cm between them. Beat the remaining egg and, using a pastry brush, push down the point of each puff and coat with the beaten egg.

5. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat of the oven (without opening the door) to 180°C and bake for a further 10 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and repeat with any remaining batter. 

Filling

6. Place brandy and raisins in a small bowl. Set aside to plump for at least 1 hour. 

7. Whisk egg yolks and castor sugar in a bowl until pale and thick. Whisk in the flour and cornflour.

8. Bring the milk, cinnamon and orange rind to a simmer in a small pan, then discard the cinnamon stick. Slowly add the milk to the egg mixture, whisking continuously, then pour the mixture through a sieve back into the saucepan. Heat gently, whisking continuously until the mixture thickens. 

9. Transfer to a mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard. Chill for at least 2 hours, then remove, add the double-thick cream and whisk back to a custard consistency. Drain any excess brandy from the raisins, add them to the custard, and transfer to a piping bag with a thick nozzle. 

10. To assemble the choux creams, cut the top third from each puff and fill the hollow bun with cream mixture to just above the cut. Place the top on the choux cream.

11. Cut a 1/2cm cross shape in a piece of baking paper as a template and dust the top of each choux cream through the template with icing sugar to create a cross.

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