Cream Puffs

Cream Puffs are one of those pastries that you look for at every dessert table. As you stand in line, peeking anxiously over the five shoulders in front of you, your eyes scan the table feverishly for those little puffs. There's the Cheesecake, in three different flavors. And then the chocolate-covered strawberries. The pink, frothy punch hails you from the end of the table. But where are the cream puffs and eclairs? Ah yes, a feeling of relief washes over you. There they are, squeezed in between the brownies and dirt pudding. And then you wait impatiently, smiling distractedly at those who pass by and give a word of greeting, until it's your turn to pile those scrumptious treats upon your dish. Don't these people know you're only here for the dessert?


I made a Boston Cream Pie this past Sunday for our church's care group. We celebrated an early Easter together by sharing a meal. But I had plenty of pastry cream and chocolate topping leftover. Not wanting to waste, I decided to try my hand at cream puffs.

Cream Puffs sound like some ethereal, unattainable dessert. Something that only professionals can make, whipping them up in their secret kitchens, closely guarding the hidden magic that makes these little desserts balloon into empty shells. Surely you need some sort of enchanted oven or obscure ingredients to ensure that delicate exterior and airy interior.

Turns out, you just need a hot oven, not a magic one. And no obscure ingredients...just the basic milk, butter, eggs and flour. A few techniques, like using a pastry bag (or a plastic bag with a corner cut off), smoothing the uncooked dough with the back of a wet spoon, and not opening the oven while cooking, ensure the perfect puff.

And boy, are they good. You should have seen our eyes dance as we bit into those pastries of perfection. The shell broke away to reveal a creamy inside, dissolving in our mouths and seducing our senses. Add some chocolate covered strawberries and you have a dessert to make any event or dinner for two sublime.

Pastry Cream

Make this first so it has time to chill. 

2 cups half-and-half (I use 1 cup milk and 1 cup cream)

8 T. sugar

Pinch salt

5 large egg yolks (save 1 of the whites for the cream puffs!)

3 T. cornstarch

4 T. cold butter, cut into 4 pieces

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Heat the half-and-half, 6 T. of the sugar and the salt in a saucepan over med. heat until simmering, stirring occasionally. 

Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until combined. Whisk in the remaining 2 T. sugar and whisk until sugar has dissolved and mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. Then whisk in the cornstarch until combined, about 30 seconds. 

When the half-and-half mixture reaches a full simmer, gradually whisk the simmering half-and-half into the yolk mixture to temper (this heats the eggs gradually, helping to ensure that your pastry cream isn't full of pieces of scrambled egg!). Return mixture to saucepan and simmer over med. heat until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened, about 30 seconds. Off the heat, stir in the butter and vanilla. Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any last bits of cooked egg. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days. 

Cream Puff Pastry

Makes 24 Cream Puffs

2 eggs and 1 egg white

5 T. butter cut into 10 pieces

2 T. milk

6 T. water

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup flour, sifted

Beat eggs and egg white in a measuring cup. You should have a 1/2 cup. Discard any excess. 

Bring butter, milk, water, sugar and salt to a boil in a saucepan over med. heat. When mixture reaches a full boil, remove from heat and stir in flour. Return saucepan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, using a smearing motion (with a spatula), until mixture is slightly shiny and tiny beads of fat appear on bottom of saucepan, about 3-4 minutes (mixture should read 175-180*). 

Immediately transfer mixture to the bowl of a standing mixer and mix on med. for 30 seconds to cool mixture slightly. Then, with machine running, gradually add the eggs. Mix for about a minute until a smooth, sticky, paste forms, scraping sides of bowl as necessary. 

Heat oven to 425 degrees, placing a large baking sheet (about 18 x 12) inside to heat up. Once oven is heated, remove baking sheet and line with parchment paper. Scoop pastry dough into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch tip (or use a plastic bag with one corner cut off). Twist the top of the bag and pipe the pastry dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheet in 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inch mounds, spaced 1 inch apart (do not space any less or your puffs will not puff well). You should have 24 mounds.  Use the back of a teaspoon dipped in cold water to smooth out the surface of your piped mounds. 

Bake for 15 minutes, resisting the temptation to open the oven door. Turn temperature down to 375 degrees and bake for 8 - 10 minutes, until puffs are golden brown and fairly firm. Remove puffs from oven and make a 3/4 inch slit in the side of each puff (This releases the steam and keeps them from being soggy). Return puffs to turned off oven to dry them, approximately 45 minutes, until centers are moist, but not wet and puffs are crisp. (This is a necessary step if you will not be eating them right away, but I was able to fill a few that we ate right away, without doing this drying step. They were cooked enough). Cool puffs and store at room temperature for up to 24 hours or freeze in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. 

TO FILL: 

When ready to serve, make a small X in the side of each puff. Fill a pastry bag (or plastic bag with corner cut off) with pastry cream and pipe pastry cream through the X in the side of the puff. Fill puff until pastry cream starts to ooze out the side. 

Chocolate Glaze

If you really like chocolate, or you want to make Eclairs, dip the puffs into this glaze.

3 T. cream

2 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup confectioners sugar

Place cream and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 20 seconds at a time, until mixture just begins to steam. Whisk together thoroughly, add confectioner's sugar and whisk again until completely smooth. Dip the filled puffs, upside down, in chocolate. 

This recipe is from Baking Illustrated.