Cream Puffs Choux Pastries Balls Or Ring Variety Recipes

CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Mix together vanilla instant pudding mix, cream and milk. Cover and refrigerate to set.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• In a large pot, bring water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour and salt until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon or stand mixer, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Centers should be dry.
• When the shells are cool, either split and fill them with the pudding mixture, or use a pastry bag to pipe the pudding into the shells.

CLASSIC CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine butter, sugar, salt and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and quickly stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Continue to stir until a film forms on the bottom of the pan.
• Remove from heat and transfer contents to a bowl to cool slightly, about 3 minutes. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously to entirely incorporate egg after each addition.
• For the egg wash, whisk together the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water. Set aside.
• Transfer the pate a choux to a large pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch plain tip. Pipe 1-1/2-inch rounds onto each prepared pan. Gently smooth the pointed peaks with a moistened finger, rounding tops to ensure even rising. Brush tops with reserved egg wash. Bake until puffs rise and are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Puffs can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 day.
• Transfer pastry cream to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/8-inch plain round tip. Insert the tip into the opening of each pastry, and pipe to fill with pastry cream. Serve immediately.

CREAM PUFFS, CHOUX PASTRIES, BALLS OR RING VARIETY

Steps:

• Heat the butter and water gently in a saucepan, bring to the boil and remove from the heat.
• Quickly tip in all the flour and beat to the smooth paste with a wooden spoon so that it forms a ball in the center of the pan.
• Leave to cool slightly for several minutes, (This is important!).
• Cover the baking sheet (cookie sheet) with baking paper, and then wet the paper slightly with cold water so that you have some little droplets still on the sheet--this will help the pastry not to catch on the bottom and stick at all.
• Add all the beaten eggs a little bit at a time until the paste gets a glossy sheen on it, if it's still a little "liquid-y" then you haven't beaten it in long enough, When it comes back to the thick paste it's ready to be put in spoonfuls into the baking sheets (cookie sheets).
• Spoon the paste onto baking sheets in the form of a the numbers of the clock-face, lifting the top of each mound into a peak and joining the balls together to create a circle.
• Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 45-50 minutes.
• Once cooked, carefully cut the "ring" in half horizontally and lift off the top half of the ring. (I use a wire cooling rack to hold it against so it doesn't break). Leave to cool on the wire rack.
• Fill with: Traditionally it would be filled with Confectioners' custard, but even quicker and easier (and one of my favourites) make a very basic custard, but use a little less custard powder than the packet recommends, and add lemon juice to taste, cover the bottom half of the cream puff ring with custard, layer on the peaches or apricots, add a little more custard to fill up spaces.
• Put the choux pastry "top" back on, drizzle melted chocolate in "zig-zag" style over the top.
• OR another favorite variation: Heap fresh strawberries into the bottom part of the ring, cover with whipped cream, put the "top" back on again and drizzle melted chocolate over the top of it all --.
• Alternatively: spoon the paste onto the baking sheet in little balls, and cut a small slit in them when they are cooked to release the steam and fill with anything you like: whipped cream, custard etc.
• The little balls can then be dipped into chocolate for WOW presentation and ultimate yumminess :).
• However you present the final result, enjoy!

CREAM PUFFS (PUFFED SHELL OF CHOUX PASTRY)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Prepare baking sheets by greasing and flouring or by lining with Parchment.
• Place water and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the flour, cardamom and salt all at once and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Blend in the milk well. Remove pan from stove burner and stir in the eggs, one at a time, stirring well until completely blended.
• Mix in the Bakers' Ammonia well.
• Drop on cookie sheets about 3 to 4 inches apart. Bake 20 to 25 minutes.
• Cut one of the shells in half at the end of baking to make sure they have dried out enough. If not dried completely, turn the oven off, punch a small hole in the bottoms of the shells, and place them back upside down in the oven to dry out for about 10 minutes. If the insides of the pastry shells are still very moist you may want to bake the shells longer so the shells won't deflate when you take them out of the oven.
• Allow to cool completely before filling.
• Fill with chocolate, vanilla or any flavor custard you enjoy!

PERSIAN CREAM PUFFS (NOON'E CHAMEI)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• In a small nonstick saucepan, bring water, margarine, and salt to a boil. When margarine melts, add flour all at once, stirring rapidly. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until a ball of dough that detaches easily from the pot forms. Set aside and let cool for 10 minutes.
• In the meantime, make the cream filling by beating the whipping cream until it forms peaks. Add the powdered sugar and mixing well. Store in a cool place until ready to use.
• Transfer cooled dough to the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a flat paddle attachment. Add eggs, one by one, making sure each egg has completely incorporated into the dough before adding the next.
• Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a large star pastry tip (Wilton 4B is perfect) or simply use an ice cream scoop to form puffs. Form meringue-like mounds, 3" in diameter and 2" in height, directly on the prepared pans.
• Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown; transfer puffs to a cooling rack.
• When the puffs are completely cooled, cut in half, using a serrated knife, and fill the cavity with whipped cream.
• Optional: To make the syrup, mix all ingredients in a bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Drizzle cooled syrup on cream puffs right before serving. Can also be served with a drizzle of melted chocolate or sprinkled with powered sugar.

PATE A CHOUX (CREAM PUFF PASTRY)

Steps:

• Place a bowl on your mixer and fit the paddle attachment to it.
• Put your eggs next to the mixer.
• Mix the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt in a 2-quart saucepan.
• Bring to a full boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
• Stirring constantly, add the flour all at once, and stir quickly and without stopping until the flour is thoroughly incorporated.
• Then continue to cook and stir for another 45 seconds, or until the dough comes into a ball and a light film of paste coats the bottom of the pan.
• Immediately scrape the dough into the bowl of your mixer, and turn the mixer on low speed.
• Let it mix for a minute or two - the first few turns of the paddle will put up a cloud of steam.
• That's fine.
• Just let it mix until no more steam is coming off the dough.
• Then add the first egg, letting it mix in fully before adding the next one.
• Keep the mixer on low speed - you don't want to incorporate too much air into the paste.
• Scrape down the bowl every 2nd egg just to make sure everything is mixing together.
• Before adding the 6th egg, stop the mixer and check the consistency of the dough.
• You will know it is perfect if, when you lift the paddle, it pulls the dough with it, then the dough breaks away and forms a peak that slowly bends down.
• If the dough is too thick and doesn't form that peak, add the last egg.
• The dough is now ready to be used to make éclairs, cream puffs, profiteroles, or any other recipe calling for choux paste.
• It should be used immediately.
• NOTES FOR MAKING CHOUX PASTE SUCCESSFULLY: The liquid must be heated to a full boil.
• Add the flour all at once and stir madly until every last speck of flour is incorporated, then keep cooking and stirring some more - it's this last bit of cooking that will take the raw taste out of the flour; you'll know you are ready to quit when the dough forms a ball around your wooden spoon and the bottom of the pan is covered with a light film of paste.
• Stop mixing when you still have one egg left to add and inspect the dough.
• Depending on the condition of the flour, the room, or the moods of the pastry gods, the dough may or may not need the last egg.
• The dough is finished when you lift the paddle and it pulls up some dough that then detaches and forms a slowly bending peak - if you don't get a peak, add another egg.
• And relax.
• Even if you can't decide what to do, add the egg - you will still get a good puff.
• Use the paste while it is warm.
• It cannot be kept.
• Unfilled puffs or éclairs can be well wrapped and frozen for a few weeks.