Cream Puffs

Fresh out of the oven!

I decided to bring my childhood back by making Monkey Bread first, and now homemade Cream Puffs. I used the Joy of Cooking recipe for both the Choux Paste (Pate A Choux) and the Pastry Cream. Both turned out great!

Choux Paste
About 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  

Preparation:

1. Combine milk, butter, sugar and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a full boil over medium heat.
2. Remove from heat and add flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon.
   
3. Once incorporated, return to high heat to cook flour. The mixture will look rough at first but it will suddenly become smooth, at which point you should stir faster. The butter may ooze out, which is fine; it simply means that the moisture is evaporating. In a few minutes, the paste will become dry and not cling to the spoon or the sides of the pan, and when the spoon is pressed on it lightly, it will leave a smooth imprint. Do not overcook or overstir at this point, or the dough will fail to puff.
4. Transfer to mixing bowl and let cool for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add one egg at a time on stir on a stand mixer, low on a hand mixer or by hand with a wooden spoon. Make sure that the paste is smooth each time before adding the next egg.
   
6. Continue to beat with each egg until the dough is smooth and shiny. The proper consistency has been reached when a small quantity of the dough will stand erect if scooped up on the end of a spoon.
   

Cooking Cream Puff Shells:
Makes about a 15 puffs

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Scoop the paste into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (I also used a star tip and it looks cute). Shape the paste into puffs on a ungreased baking sheet.
3. Before baking, lightly sprinkle a few drops of water over the shapes on the pan for a light, airy texture.
4. Bake for 10 minutes.
5. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and very firm to the touch.
6. Remove to a rack and cool completely.

Pastry Cream (UPDATED 01/01/2010):
I deleted the original recipe because it was gross and added the Creme Saint-Honore from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking here. Use this instead!

Assemble cream puffs:

1. I used a star tip and filled each puff from the bottom.
2. You can dust w/ powdered sugar, or drizzle chocolate or just eat it plain to serve!
   

Original cream was too thick.
Use the Creme Saint-Honore recipe I added later.
WAY BETTER!