Durians. Love them or hate them. I am a durian lover. We only have access to the frozen version of these King of fruits, much of its distinctive ‘aroma’ is lost in the freezing process. We don’t get the kick out of sinking our teeth into thawed durian pulp. Nonetheless, beggars can’t be choosers. This weekend, I filled some choux pastry with generous scoops of durian cream. Voilà! A great french and south east asian fusion dessert! They evoke fond memories of those thorny, husky fruits…

• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 1/2 hours

Ingredients

Durian Cream

• 400g durian pulp
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 200 ml heavy whipping cream

Choux Pastry

• 170g (6 oz) flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 115g (4 oz) butter
• 285 ml (10 fl oz) water
• 5 eggs

Directions

Durian Cream

1. Break up the durian pulp with two forks.
2. Mix the durian pulp, milk, and maple syrup in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon until incorporated.
3. Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form.
4. Fold durian pulp into the whipped cream.
5. Cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Choux Pastry

1. Sift flour and baking powder together in a medium bowl.
2. Bring butter and water to a boil in a pan. Stir in flour mixture all at once and cook till mixture is smooth and leaves side of pan.
3. Remove from heat and cool in the bowl of a standing mixer.
4. When dough is cooled, preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
5. Beat eggs, one at a time with the dough in the standing mixer until the mixture is smooth and shiny.
6. Transfer the batter into a piping bag.
7. Pipe the batter onto a non-stick tray in small heaps. Leave 1 inch spacing apart.
8. Bake in 450 degrees F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake for another 15 minutes till puffs are golden brown.
9. Transfer to cooling rack.
10. Split puffs at sides and fill with durian cream.