This year, after preparing my tried and true choux pastry zeppole as always for Saint Joseph’s Day, I decided to make a savory version with my indispensable beet flour! This flour gave the dough a beautiful color, which unfortunately faded a bit during baking, but the taste was top-notch! These are still neutral puffs, so perfect for filling as needed with either a sweet cream or savory filling! I love the versatility of this recipe because, beyond Father’s Day, you can use it for any other occasion! In this case, I chose to prepare them for the Easter Monday picnic, but with the arrival of the beautiful season, they will be excellent for future day trips! They are also great for enriching an informal buffet, but in this case, if there are many guests, I recommend doubling the doses! Additionally, it is important to prepare the choux pastry base the day before, so they have time to settle and become, after a night of rest, soft as clouds! Otherwise, if you’re in a hurry, prepare them in the morning and fill them in the afternoon. The filling I propose is obviously customizable based on your tastes and dietary needs, but I believe the combination of avocado, salmon, arugula, and sun-dried tomatoes is absolutely sublime! Try them and you’ll fall in love with them!
CURIOSITY: Did you know that choux pastry is a French-origin dough, more commonly called ‘puff pastry’? The origin of this preparation dates back to the 16th century, but its invention is attributed to an Italian pastry chef named Pantanelli/Penterelli, part of the entourage of Queen Catherine de’ Medici.
If you love to amaze your guests by focusing on finger foods or buffet appetizers, try these super scenic ideas:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 25 puffs
- Cooking methods: Stove, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Easter Monday, Saint Joseph
Ingredients
⚠ THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; purchasing them through my blog helps support me and my work, while it won’t cost you anything extra!
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup beet flour
- 4 eggs
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 oz smoked salmon
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese (or spreadable cheese)
- 1 avocado (ripe)
- to taste sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- to taste arugula
Tools
- 1 Mixing Bowl
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Wooden Spoon
- 1 Piping Bag
- 1 Baking Tray
- 1 Parchment Paper
- 1 Knife
Steps
In a mixing bowl, mix and sift the all-purpose flour with beet flour.
In a medium saucepan, combine the water with the soft butter cut into cubes, and a pinch of salt.
Melt over low heat, then wait for the first sign of boiling, and only then add the flours, all at once as a cascade.
In a few seconds, the dough will change consistency, so stir with a wooden spoon until it pulls away from the sides of the pot forming a sort of ball.
Turn off the heat and let it cool for a couple of minutes, continuing to compact, then incorporate the eggs, one at a time.
Mix vigorously, allowing each egg to be well absorbed.
Only when this operation is complete can you add the next.
Once all 4 eggs are added, you will obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough with a consistency similar to a cream.
Transfer the dough into a piping bag with a large star tip and distribute the puffs onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper, creating a double loop.
Continue in this way until the dough is used up. Put in a ventilated oven at 392°F for 15 minutes, then lower to 374°F for another 10 minutes. After this time, turn off the oven and let them rest in the oven with the door slightly open for 10 minutes, using a kitchen spoon if needed. This will allow the puffs to dry completely.
Remove from oven and let cool completely at room temperature*.
Once cooled, they will be ready to hold your filling. Use a knife to cut them in half; I added a teaspoon of cottage cheese to each puff.
I added slices of smoked salmon and a few avocado slices.
Completed everything with sun-dried tomatoes in oil and some fresh arugula.
Closed with their little cap and skewered with a toothpick.
And voilà…the savory beet puffs are ready to be enjoyed!
Enjoy from La Cucina di FeFè!
More detailed shots…
Storage
👉 Unfilled choux pastry puffs can be stored for several days at room temperature in an airtight container. They will remain beautifully crisp like the first day, ready to be filled or garnished as you wish.
Tips, Notes, Variations, and Suggestions
🟣* I always recommend preparing the puffs the day before or, if you’re in a hurry, in the morning to serve them in the evening, so they have time to cool to room temperature and become soft. Initially, when taken out of the oven, they might be a bit harder and crispier, which is absolutely normal. Once cooled and stored for a few hours in an airtight container, they will become soft and ready to be filled.
🟣For the filling, you can replace the cottage cheese with spreadable cheese or other fresh cheeses like goat cheese, ricotta, quark, robiola. Alternatively, you can use other types of cheese such as provolone, emmental, scamorza etc., no problem! Let your imagination run wild with cold cuts or sautéed vegetables, olives, mushrooms in oil, artichokes, eggplant fillets, etc. The combinations can be endless, offering a finger food that is always different and tasty!
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What can be used instead of beet flour?
If you do not want to give a more particular flavor to your puffs, you can simply omit it and use the full amount of all-purpose flour (1 cup).
