Choux buns with raspberry, rose and pistachio

Method

1. To make the craquelin, put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix to a paste using a spoon or an electric whisk. Roll the paste out between 2 sheets of baking paper, then chill for at least 1 hour.
2. To make the choux, put the milk, 60ml water, butter and salt in a small saucepan over a high heat and bring to a rolling bowl. Tip in the flour and quickly beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan. Tip into a bowl and allow to cool a little.
3. Whisk together the eggs, then gradually beat them into the dough, a little at a time, until it becomes shiny and forms a dropping consistency (a spoonful will take a few seconds to drop off – you may not need to add all the eggs). Transfer to a piping bag.
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5. Heat the oven to 200°C fan/gas 7 and add the 80g pistachios while it heats up for 15 minutes to toast, then set them aside. Meanwhile, put the choux mix in a piping bag and pipe 10 spheres, roughly 3-4cm in size, onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Take the craquelin out of the fridge and use the pastry cutter to cut out 10 circles, ensuring they’re slightly smaller than the choux buns. Put the discs of craquelin on top of the choux, then put them in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Without opening the oven, reduce the heat to 170°C fan/gas 5 and bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden and crisp. Set aside on a wire rack to cool.
6. Tip the roasted pistachios into a food processor and whizz to a fine crumb, then tip into a saucepan, add the milk and cover. Set aside for 1 hour to infuse. Meanwhile, put 200g of the raspberries in a pan with the sugar and rosewater and put over a medium heat. Cook until the berries collapse (about 5 minutes), then leave to cool. Once cool, push through a fine sieve into a small bowl to remove the seeds.
7. After 1 hour soaking, put the pistachio milk over a medium heat and stir regularly while it warms up. Meanwhile, put the sugar and cornflour in a bowl, then use a wooden spoon to beat in the egg yolks until pale and creamy. Pour a little of the hot (but not boiling) milk into the eggs to temper them, then continue graduallyadding splashes of hot milk while mixing constantly. Pour the mixture back into the pan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until nice and thick, then scrape into a bowl and cover the surface directly with baking paper. Leave to cool, then chill for 30 minutes.
8. When ready to serve, whip the cream to soft peaks then stir it through the chilled custard. Slice the top third off each choux bun, then half-fill each with pistachio cream, a spoonful of raspberry coulis and a few fresh raspberries. Cover with more pistachio cream and top with the lid, then serve.