Cream Puffs
- Puffs
- 1 cup water
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- Filling
- 1 cup diced strawberries or whole raspberries
- CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM, recipe follows
- 2 cups cold heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter, sugar, and salt.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Remove the pan from the heat and sift the flour directly into the pan.
- Stir the mixture into a paste with a wooden spoon.
- Return the pan to a medium heat.
- Stir the mixture until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and is slightly shiny, about 3 minutes.
- Transfer the paste to a medium bowl, and beat with a wooden spoon until slightly cooled, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating each one thoroughly before adding the next.
- Before adding the last egg, beat it in a small bowl.
- Adding it by tablespoons to the mixture, just until the batter is smooth and tight.
- If the batter starts to get loose, do not add all of the last egg.
- Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Fill a large pastry bag, fitted with an open tip, with the cream puff mixture.
- Pipe twelve 2 1/2-inch circular mounds, about 2 inches apart, onto the prepared pan.
- (Alternately, use a large spoon to form the dough into the mounds.)
- Dab the tops of each puff with a fingertip dipped in water to smooth the tops.
- Beat the egg yolk with a tablespoon of water and brush the surface of the puffs with the beaten yolk.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F; continue baking until golden brown and the puffs are light, airy, and crisp, about 30 to 35 minutes more.
- Cool on a rack.
- Assemble the cream puffs.
- Cut the puffs in half with a serrated knife, and set the tops aside.
- (If the puffs are very moist inside, scoop out the excess dough and re-crisp them in a 350 degree F. oven for about 5 minutes.
- Cool completely before continuing.)
- Put a heaping tablespoon of the fruit in the bottom half of the cream puffs.
- Pipe or spoon about 1/3 cup of the whipped cream on top.
- Replace the puff tops.
- Refrigerate for up to 3 hours or serve immediately.
- Beat the cream in a medium bowl with an electric mixer or a whisk, until it begins to hold a loose peak.
- Sift the sugar into the cream.
- Continue beating until the cream holds a firm but still soft peak.
- Set aside.
- Put the chocolate in a clean, medium, microwaveable bowl.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave, at half power, at 30 second intervals, until softened and warm.
- Whisk until smooth and liquid.
- (Alternatively melt the chocolate in a double boiler.)
- Fold about 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into the warm chocolate to lighten it.
- Add the lightened chocolate mixture back to the remaining whipped cream, folding until completely blended.
- Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
- It's best used the same day it is prepared.
- Yield: about 4 cups
water, unsalted butter, sugar, salt, flour, eggs, egg yolk, filling, strawberries, chocolate whipped cream, cold heavy cream, sugar, semisweet chocolate
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/cream-puffs-recipe.html (may not work)