love cream puffs. I love how each small, crisp, hollow round of choux
pastry is split in half, filled with lots of sweet cream (or custard), and
then dusted with a thick coating of powdered sugar. Some say the choux
pastry shells look like small cabbages which is probably where the name
"choux" came from as "choux" in French means "cabbage".Catherine de Medici's (an Italian who married France's Henry II) pastry
chef is credited with inventing choux pastry in the 1540s and it has
been the springboard for many desserts ever since. Besides cream puffs,
the two other desserts that are quite popular are the éclair (long finger-shaped pastry that is filled with cream and glazed
with chocolate) and the Profiterole (small puffs of choux pastry split and
filled with cream or ice cream and topped with chocolate sauce).
Cream puffs begin with a baked puffed shell of choux pastry.
Choux pastry or pâte à
choux is an unusual pastry in that flour is added
to a boiled mixture of butter and water (like a roux) and then this
mixture is cooked
until it forms a smooth ball of dough. After cooling the dough to
lukewarm, eggs are slowly added and the dough is beaten until it becomes a
smooth thick paste. This paste can either be piped or dropped into
mounds onto a baking sheet and then they are baked, first at a high temperature and
then at a slightly lower temperature. The high temperature is needed
so the dough will rise quickly (leaving a hollow center) and to set the
structure of the shells. The temperature is then reduced to allow
the outsides of the shells to become firm, while at the same time allowing
the insides of the pastry to dry out. Always cut one of the shells in half
at the end of baking to make sure they have dried out because if the
inside dough is still very wet, the choux pastry will deflate upon cooling. But
don't worry if the shells have just a small
amount of moist dough in them as this can simply
be removed before filling the shells.
Once the pastry shells have cooled, split them in half and fill with
sweet whipped cream. The cream can be plain or flavored. For this recipe I
have just used softly whipped cream but you could use one of the
flavored whipped creams if you
like. During berry season I often add a few raspberries or cut up
strawberries to the cream. The finishing touch is to dust the tops of the
pastry with powdered (confectioners or icing) sugar. In order to keep the shells crisp, fill with
the cream shortly before serving. If you don't mind the shells becoming a
little soft you can assemble the cream puffs a few hours before serving.
Just make sure you cover and place in the refrigerator.
Preheat
oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl sift
together the flour, sugar and salt. Set aside.
Place the
butter and water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove
from heat and, with a wooden spoon or spatula, quickly add the flour mixture. Return to heat and
stir constantly until the dough comes away from the sides of
the pan and forms a thick smooth ball (about a minute or two). Transfer the
dough to your
electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, and beat on low speed a
minute or two to release the steam from the dough. Once the dough is
lukewarm start adding the lightly beaten eggs and continue to mix until you have
a smooth thick paste. Spoon or pipe 12 mounds of dough onto the
baking sheet, spacing them a couple of inches apart. Beat together
the egg and salt for the glaze. With a pastry brush, gently brush the
glaze on the tops of the dough.
Bake for 15
minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Bake
for a further 30 to 40 minutes or until the shells are a nice amber color and
when split, are dry inside. Turn the oven off and, with the oven door
slightly ajar, let the shells dry out for a further 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
For whipped cream:
In a large mixing bowl place the whipping cream, vanilla extract, and sugar and stir
to combine. Cover and chill the bowl and whisk in the
refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. When chilled, whip the
mixture until soft peaks form.
To Assemble: Split the
pastry shells in half and fill (or pipe) with whipped cream. Place the top half of the pastry shell on the whipped cream and dust
with powdered (confectioners or icing) sugar.
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