Mary Ann's Blog
Dreamy Creamy Cream Puffs
December 13, 2013
Oh, the lovely cream puff, where have you gone? This classic dessert seems to have disappeared of late in cookbooks and on restaurant menus but it deserves to be brought back again since they are so easy to make and are the perfect holiday dessert either filled with pastry cream or ice cream.
Dreamy Creamy Cream Puffs
Cream Puffs
1 cup water or milk
½ teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons sugar, optional
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
4 medium size eggs at room temperature
Preheat oven to 425F
Combine water or milk ,salt and sugar and bring to a boil in a medium size sauce pan. Add the butter and bring the mixture to just under the boil. Take pan off the heat and stir the flour in all at once.
Put the pan over very low heat and stir the mixture until it forms one mass and holds together. The texture should be smooth and the dough should easily pull away from the sides of the pan. Takes about a minute or two.
Stop stirring and remove pan from heat. Transfer the mixture to a stand mixer and allow to cool for about 8 minutes.
In a separate bowl beat the eggs until smooth. Add the egg mixture about ¼ cup at a time, beating hard after each addition until fully mixed.
Drip rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Space the puffs about 2 inches apart. Or pipe them out using a pastry bag with a ¾ inch tip.
Bake for about 10 minutes at 425F then lower the temperature to 375F and bake an additional 15-17 minutes depending on size until they are golden brown and puffy.
Make a tiny slit in each one near the bottom and put them back in the oven with the oven off and the oven door ajar for 5 to 10 minutes so steam can escape.
Take the puffs off the baking sheet and place them on a wire rack to cool.
At this point you can freeze them. When you want to use them place them in a 375F oven for about 10 minutes to crisp them up.
Custard filling
Makes 4 cups
2 whole eggs amd 4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
pinch salt
1 cup warm milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon rum
1 cup cream, whipped
Confectioners sugar for sprinkling
Beat the eggs and yolks, sugar and salt together in a double boiler.
Pour the milk into the egg mixture and blend until smooth. Cook stirring constantly until it thickens. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and rum. Cover and refrigerate. When ready to fill the cream puffs, whip the cream and fold into the pastry cream.
Slice off the tops of the cream puffs and fill with pastry cream.
Place on decorative tray and sprinkle with confectioners sugar
Chocolate glaze
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons honey
Place chocolate in a bowl over simmering water and allow to melt
Heat cream in small pan with honey and bring to just under the boil. Pour the mixture over the chocolate and blend until smooth. Set aside.
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