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Pancetta & Parmesan puffs

I know, I have done it again. Pancetta. It’s that porky, tasty yumminess that I love so very much. Now these cheesy little numbers are made from choux pastry, which for me is the easiest pastry on the block. A positive word of warning: these are incredibly moreish. A just-cooked bowl of them will disappear in literally minutes.

Prep time: 25 minutes

Time baking in the oven: 25 minutes

Makes: about 25

Equipment: 2 baking sheets, small frying pan, medium pan, grater, 2 medium bowls, disposable piping bag (optional)

50g butter

125ml milk

50g pancetta cubes

Oil

25g Parmesan cheese

75g plain flour

1 tsp chilli powder (optional)

Pinch of salt

2 medium eggs

+ Preheat the oven to 170°C, (fan 150°C), 325°F, Gas Mark 3. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment and set aside.

+ Put a small frying pan on a medium heat for the pancetta.

+ Put the butter and milk in a medium pan over a low heat and leave the butter to melt.

+ Meanwhile, place the pancetta into the frying pan with a drizzle of oil and cook for about 4 minutes, turning every so often.

+ Once the butter has melted into the milk, whack up the heat and bring to the boil.

+ Meanwhile, finely grate the Parmesan and tip it into a medium bowl. Stir in the flour, chilli powder, if you like, and a pinch of salt.

+ As soon as the buttery milk boils, remove the pan from the heat and add the flour mixture to it. Beat it really hard with a wooden spoon until the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan. Then tip it into a medium bowl, spread it out all around the inside and leave it for a few minutes until cool to the touch.

+ Once the pancetta is crisp and golden, remove from the heat and tip onto kitchen paper to drain off excess fat and set aside.

+ Once the flour mix has cooled down a little, add the eggs, one at a time, beating hard between each addition. When the egg first goes in, the mixture will look a little less than pleasant, as if it won’t mix in, but keep beating it really hard and it will come good. Then stir in the pancetta.

+ Now, here you can either spoon blobs of the choux pastry onto the baking sheets or (my favourite method with my piping bag obsession) pipe the blobs using a disposable piping bag cut to give a 1.5cm opening. Either way, make them about 2–3cm in diameter and space them a little bit apart. This makes about 25. Use a finger slightly moistened with water to push down any end bits that may be sticking up (so they don’t burn in the oven), then bake for 25 minutes.

+ The puffs should be crisp and golden on top when cooked. These are really best served piping hot when they are still slightly moist as they are cut open.