Fluffy coconut puffs

1.Preheat oven to 220°C. Grease oven trays.

2.To make choux pastry, combine water, butter and sugar in a medium saucepan; bring to the boil. Add flour and beat with a wooden spoon over medium heat until mixture comes away from base of pan. Transfer pastry to a medium bowl; stand 1 minute. Beat in two of the eggs, one at a time, until pastry becomes smooth and glossy but still holds its shape.

3.Spoon pastry into piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm plain tube. Pipe 18 x 4cm rounds, about 5cm apart, on trays; brush with remaining egg, lightly beaten.

4.Bake puffs 10 minutes. Then reduce oven temperature to 160°C and bake puffs a further 20 minutes. Turn off oven; cool puffs in oven with door ajar.

5.To make coconut pastry cream, bring milk to the boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a medium heatproof bowl, then gradually whisk in hot milk mixture. Return mixture to pan and whisk over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat; whisk in liqueur and butter until smooth. Cover surface with plastic wrap. Stand until cooled to room temperature.

6.Cut a small opening in the base of each puff. Spoon pastry cream into piping bag fitted with an 8mm plain tube. Pipe pastry cream through cuts into each puff.

7.Melt chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl over a medium saucepan of simmering water (make sure water doesn’t touch base of bowl). Place coconut in a shallow dish. Dip the puffs into melted chocolate then into coconut; stand on wire racks until set.