Instructions

Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/Gas 7. Draw eight 2" circles and eight 1" circles on the paper lining the baking sheet.

Put the butter and water into a heavy pan and heat over a medium heat until the butter has completely melted, then bring the mixture to the boil. Remove from the heat and tip in the flour. Stir hard until the mixture forms a soft ball. Set the pan back on a low heat and cook for 3–5 minutes, stirring constantly, to dry out the dough. Remove from the heat and leave to cool almost completely.

Once cool, gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition.

Pipe inside the drawn circles on the baking sheet. Place in the heated oven and bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 190°C/170°C fan/375°F/Gas 5 and bake for a further 10–15 minutes until golden brown.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and pierce each bun on the bottom with a skewer to allow the steam to escape. Return the choux buns to the oven and bake for 4–5 minutes so they dry out. Move the buns to a wire rack and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, make the cream filling. Pour the milk into a heavy-based medium pan. Slowly bring to the boil, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside. Put the egg yolks and sugar into a heatproof mixing bowl and whisk together until pale, then add the cornstarch and whisk in. Continue to whisk as you pour on the hot milk. Pour the mixture back into the pan. Set over a medium heat and bring to the boil, whisking constantly. Cook for 1 minute until smooth and thick. Leave to cool, stirring occasionally to stop a skin from forming then chill.

For the chocolate ganache, bring the cream to the boil in a small pan, then remove from the heat. Add the pieces of chocolate and stir until melted and the mixture is smooth and shiny. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool, then cover and chill until the ganache has a thick coating consistency.

To assemble the religieuses, spoon the cream filling into a piping bag and fill the choux buns through the skewer hole you made earlier. Dip the tops of the filled buns into the chocolate ganache to coat them halfway up the sides. Set a small bun on top of each large bun.