Cream Puff

dessert traditional recipe

INFO

Much simpler to do than most think and simply fabulous. Also known as Petits Choux.

Details

Ingredients

Ingredients Choux Dough

• 1 Cup of milk (water will do, but prefer milk)
• 2 oz of unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
• 1/8 Tsp of salt
• 1/4 Tsp of granulated sugar
• 1 Cup of all-purpose flour
• 4 Eggs (large)

Ingredients Pastry Buttercream

• 4 Egg Yolks (large)
• 1/3 Cup of granulated sugar
• 1/3 Cup of all-purpose flour
• 1.5 Cup of milk
• 3 oz of unsalted butter (3/4 stick)

Ingredients Egg Wash

• 2 eggs

Method

1. Pre-heat oven on 375F
2. Cut the buttercream butter is small piece and leave it at room temperature

Method Egg Wash

1. Do this only when your dough is ready to cook
2. Break one full egg into a bowl
3. Add just the yolk of the second egg
4. Mix well, and brush the dough balls

Method Choux Dough

1. Flour does not have to be sifted unless it is lumpy
2. Combine milk, butter, salt and sugar into a sauce pan
3. Bring mixture to a boil, remove from heat
4. Throw the flour all at once into the pan and stir with a wooden or metal spoon
5. Return the pan on the stove over medium heat
6. Stir for about 10 seconds, the dough should come together into one soft lump
7. Continue stiring over the hear for about 1 minute, until the bottom of the pan becomes white and cakey. This will indicate that the dough has dried some more, it is now smoother and stronger.
8. Remove from the heat and transfer into a bowl or into a food processor.

To finish the dough in a food procesor

1. Process the dough for 4-5 seconds to cool a tad
2. Add the eggs and process for 10-15 seconds until it is smooth and well combined

To finish the dough by hand

1. You already transfered the dough to a bowl (bad surprise after if you do not)
2. Add the first egg, then stir the mixture. It will first come apart then re-combine
3. Add the second egg and stir the mixture, safe thing happens
4. Now you can add the 2 remaining eggs and stir until the dough is smooth

Make the balls

1. Layout some parchement paper onto the cooking sheet (Tip: use a tiny bit of dough as glue)
2. Transfer the dough into the pastry bag
3. Make small 1 in dough mounds using a circular motion (2-3 turns), about the size of a big walnut, make sure to space them 1 to 1.5 in apart.
4. Using a brush and the egg wash, brush gently the tops of the mound, brake down - flatten - the tail of each mound doing so
5. Put the dough into the oven for 30 minutes
6. After 30 mn, turn off the oven, prop the oven door a little bit open and let cool the puff in the oven for about another 30 mn. Do not remove the puff from the oven to cool.

Method Pastry Buttercream

1. Put the egg yolks, sugar and flour into a bowl and mix for about 1 mn
2. Bring the milk to a boil in a pan and add it to the egg yolk mixture, keep stirring while doing so
3. Transfer the mixture back into the pan and return to the heat
4. Bring back the mixture to a strong boil while mixing with a whisk. Make sure to whisk around the edge of the pan where the cream tends to stick.
5. When the mixture is back to boil, boil for a few seconds, until it gets creamy
6. Remove the mixture from the heat and cover with a plastic wrap (if time is an issue, set the pan in a bowl of ice and water to cool down faster)
7. Once the mixture is back at room temperature or luke-warm, mix in the soft butter. Keep whisking until the butter is fully dissolved in the mixture and the cream is fluffy.
8. Cool the mixture in the fridge.

Method Assembly

1. Cut the top of the puff (about 1/3 from the top), reserve the lids
2. Fill up a pastry bag with the cream
3. Now fill up each of the puff with the cream
4. Put back the lids on each puff
5. Cover with an aluminium foil and store back in the fridge

Note: You can also dab each lid with some caramel.

Quick View

Traditional
Serve	4
Preparation Time	90 mn
Cooking Time	30 mn + 10 mn
Temperature
Authors	Pascal Crausaz
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