Raspberry Preserves and Pâté Choux Bites

PARTNER POST: We’ve teamed up with Bonne Maman to bring you the best homemade breakfast and brunch recipes to show Mom you care this Mother’s Day and all spring long.
For a special brunch, make this beautiful bite of pâté and raspberry preserves served in pâte à choux.

One of my favorite preserves brand is Bonne Maman. They use time-honored traditional French recipes, their preserves and jellies are made with natural ingredients and feature the finest quality fruit. They are Non-GMO Project Verified, have no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial coloring or no preservatives added so you taste the pure essence of the fruit. Besides having the great preserves, also being able to find them at almost every grocery store.

I’ve collaborated with Bonne Maman to create a savory Mother’s Day breakfast item. I’ve noticed for the past few years, I have this odd tendency to mix desserts or pastry and make it as savory as I can without making it too weird tasting. Thankfully, my mother is totally on board for flavor experimentation and she’s a happy guinea pig to try my trials and errors out.

How I’ve thought up in the end is merging the classic idea of pairing charcuterie (pâté, to be more precise) and fruit except packaging this into a pastry. Pâte à choux is a versatile pastry that is generally known to be made into eclairs or profiteroles (aka cream puffs). The savory version that most are familiar with is the gougère except I chose not to use cheese into my dough as I don’t want to distract the flavors of the pâté and the raspberry. I’ve added the caramelized onions with balsamic glaze to push the savory envelope even further but also have its toe on the sweet. It’s best to keep the choux on the bite size or slightly bigger than that (approximately 2-3 inches when you pipe) since it’s an intense, rich pastry and I prefer to serve these pastries on the slightly warmer end so the flavors of the filling just meld beautifully. All of this tastes like a porky and sweet onion-y sandwich containing all of these is deeply savory flavors with a sweet undertone then a flash of the bright, fruity raspberry preserves toward the middle and end of the eating experience.

I admit I did not make my pâté made of wild boar, pork and chicken liver. I respect the old school craft of making ground and finely minced meats and offal parts of various animals and make into a delicious sausages and terrines but I don’t have any time to make it with the deadlines and work. With my own admission, you are free to buy your pâté that you know tastes good but if you’re one of the few who are willing to go all the way, please go crazy.

It sounds fancier and harder than it sounds but really, this is a pretty easy project and for a busy person, you can make the caramelized onions the day before and make the choux the day of. Putting everything together is a breeze. If you’re willing to make this for your mom for Mother’s Day, she would really like this pastries for breakfast and it could also be a great hor d’oeuvres for dinner.

Make sure to check out Bonne Maman’s sweepstakes for a chance to win a 12-piece Le Creuset cookware set and more.

For another recipe idea, check out these strawberry muffins.
Click here for the written recipe.

Raspberry Preserves and Pâté Choux Bites

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• Author: Tina Wong
• Yield: About 20–24 bite-size puffs 1x

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Description

For a special brunch, make this beautiful bite of pâté and raspberry preserves served in pâte à choux.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Pâte à choux:

• 8 tablespoons (4 oz / 113 g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk, mixed with 1 tablespoon water (egg wash)

Caramelized onions with balsamic glaze:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound (about 3 large) yellow onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:

• 1 pound pâté (country pâté, chicken liver pâté, or your favorite)
• 2 ounces raspberry preserves (a little goes a long way — keeps the pastry savory)

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Instructions

Caramelized onions with balsamic glaze:

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet with a lid over medium-low heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt, cover, and cook 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
2. Remove the lid and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, 3–5 minutes more until golden.
3. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook, stirring, until the liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Season with the remaining salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let cool. Refrigerate if making ahead.

Pâte à choux (choux pastry):

1. Heat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment or a baking mat. Cut the butter into small pieces so it melts quickly and evenly.
2. Combine the butter, water, and salt in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a rolling boil, making sure the butter is fully melted before the water boils. If needed, reduce heat to melt the butter, then return to a boil.
3. Take the pan off the heat and add all the flour at once. Stir vigorously until a smooth dough forms and no dry flour remains — it should look like mashed potatoes.
4. Return the pan to medium heat. Cook the dough, mashing it against the sides and bottom, then gathering it back into a ball, for 3–5 minutes. The dough is ready when it pulls away from the pan, looks shiny, and holds a spoon upright.
5. Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-low until just warm to the touch.
6. Whisk the 4 eggs together. With the mixer running on medium-low, add the eggs in four separate additions, letting each absorb fully before adding the next. After the third addition, check the dough: it should be soft, smooth, and drop from the spatula in a “V” shape. Add the fourth egg (or just half) if needed.
7. Scoop or pipe the dough onto the baking sheet in rounds about 2 to 2½ inches in diameter, spacing them slightly apart. Brush the tops with the egg wash.
8. Bake at 425°F for 12–15 minutes until puffed, then reduce the heat to 375°F (190°C) and bake another 18–20 minutes until golden brown and dry to the touch.
9. Reduce heat to 300°F (149°C) and bake 15 minutes more to dry out the insides. Break one open to check — it should not be wet or eggy inside.
10. Transfer to a cooling rack and poke each puff with a toothpick or the tip of a paring knife to release steam. Cool completely.

To assemble:

1. Slice the tops off the cooled puffs about one-third down, using a serrated knife.
2. Whip the pâté with a stand or hand mixer until light and fluffy. Transfer to a piping bag and fill each puff to about 60% full (approximately 2 tablespoons).
3. Top each puff with 1 tablespoon of the cooled caramelized onions.
4. Add 1/8 teaspoon of raspberry preserves, then cap with the puff top. Serve immediately.

Notes

The caramelized onions can be made a day ahead and refrigerated — they actually improve overnight. The choux puffs can be baked up to a week ahead and frozen unfilled; recrisp them in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes before assembling.

• Category: Appetizer, Breakfast

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