Cream puffs, known as choux, are doughy French puff pastries filled with cream. Found in many shapes and flavors, the religieuse cream puff is a large puff filled with chocolate or coffee cream and topped with a smaller puff like a crown. There are also elaborate choux pastries such as the Paris-Brest, Saint-Honoré and croquembouche. But above all others is the internationally loved round profiterole. Light, fluffy and a easily made in a KitchenAid mixer, mastering cream puffs will add an entire genre of desserts to your repertoire.
Instructions
1. Bring water, milk, salt and butter to a full rolling boil in a medium saucepan. Slowly add the sifted flour into the mixture, stirring constantly to keep from creating clumps. Cook in the pan for two to three more minutes while stirring. The dough mixture will be thick, but stir until there are no lumps and the dough pulls away from the side of the pan.
2. Remove from heat and transfer to your mixing bowl. Allow to sit for five minutes to cool slightly. Attach the paddle, not the whisk. On low speed, add the eggs one at a time until well incorporated. The dough should be much more pliable and custard like. Remove the bowl from the stand and scoop into a pastry bag fitted with a #809 or larger tip (just cut the edge of the bag or use a plastic bag with a cut end if you do not have pastry bags).
3. Pipe 1-inch rounds onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone non-stick baking mat or parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. When cooled, carefully split in half to await filling.
4. Mix the choux cream. In a small bowl, let 1 tsp. gelatin bloom with 1 tbsp. water. Clean the mixer bowl. In a small saucepan, bring 1 ¼ cup whole milk to a boil. Add lemon or orange zest (optional). In a small bowl, beat 3 egg yolks with 1 ¼ cups sugar and 2 tbsp. cornstarch. Slowly add the milk to the egg mixture while stirring constantly--you must stir or else you will cook the eggs and have a scramble in the middle of your pastry cream. Pour the milk and egg mixture back into the pan and return to the burner and cook over medium heat for five minutes. Add ½ cup butter and melt stirring with a whisk. Add the gelatin and stir until melted. Remove from heat, and transfer to a small bowl, cover (touch the cream) and refrigerate until cold. You must wait until the cream is cold before you mix into the egg whites.
5. Attach the whisk to the mixer and whip ½ cup heavy cream to soft peaks. Using a spatula, gently fold in the cooled custard cream. Fill into a pastry bag, and pipe generous amounts onto one half of the cut choux. Top with the hat, dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with a chocolate sauce and serve.
Tags: small bowl, filled with, five minutes, from heat, from heat transfer, heat transfer, into pastry