Cream Puffs

Submitted by Little Bunny Fufu

"This particular recipe I found in a dessert recipe book that I was given just this Easter. I've made eclairs following a recipe similar to this one. Another reason I chose this recipe is because I love French pastries and cream puffs are pastries from France. Plus they're delicious!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 5mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Yields: 18 cream puffs

ingredients

• PUFF PASTRY

• 1 cup water
• 2 1⁄2 ounces butter, cut into small pieces
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon sugar
• 3⁄4 cup sifted flour
• 5 eggs

• PASTRY CREAM

• 2 1⁄4 cups milk
• 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 whole egg, plus
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Butter and flour a large baking sheet.
3. To make the pastry puff: In a sauce pan, mix water, butter, salt, and the one half teaspoon of sugar and bring to a boil.
4. As soon as it boils, remove the pan from the heat and add the flour all at once.
5. Using a rubber spatula, beat in the flour.
6. Place the sauce pan over high heat and continue beating for 2 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and scrape contents of pan into bowl.
8. Add 4 eggs, 1 at a time, beating vigorously after each addition until smooth.
9. Place the dough pastry in a bag with a one half inches plain tip.
10. Pipe mounds 2 inches in diameter and 3 inches apart onto the baking sheet.
11. You should have 16-20 mounds.
12. In a bowl, beat the remaining egg until well blended.
13. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush each mound with beaten egg.
14. Bake until the puffs are golden brown, or for 30 minutes, whichever comes first.
15. Transfer the puffs to a rack and let cool completely.
16. When the puffs are cool, slice off the top one third of each puff.
17. Reserve the tops.
18. To make the pastry cream….
19. In heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine one and a half cups of the milk, cream and sugar and bring almost to a boil, whisking once or twice to dissolve the sugar.
20. Meanwhile, place the cornstarch in a small bowl and add one half cup of the milk, stirring to dissolve the cornstarch.
21. Add remaining milk, the whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
22. Whisk together until smooth.
23. When the hot milk mixture is about to boil, pour in the cornstarch mixture, whisking continuously until completely blended.
24. Continue to heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until it boils and thickens to the consistency of custard pudding.
25. Remove from the heat, pour into a bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap directly into the surface to prevent skin forming.
26. Let cool completely before using.
27. Spread desired amount of pastry crème onto the bottom half of each pastry puff.
28. Replace top one-third of pastry puff.
29. Bon appetite!

Reviews

[eskimoterri]

Very good - easy to make, make sure to cook the puffs for 30 min, otherwise the puffs fall from not being done. The pastry cream is better cold. They taste like eclairs without the chocolate.