Cream Puffs: Pate a Choux, Vanilla Pastry Cream, and Chocolate Ganache
Pate a Choux
- 1.5 cups milk
- 8 oz (2 sticks) butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour (sifted)
- 8 eggs
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Bring the milk, butter, and salt to a boil in a medium sized pot.
- Stir in the flour quickly, and cook the dough over medium heat for 2 minutes. The dough will begin to dry out and should easily pull away from the sides of the pot.
- Transfer the dough into a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on low for 1 minute. This will release the heat from the dough.
- Add the first seven eggs 2-3 at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. If the dough is the correct consistency, it should create peaks when poking finger into the dough. It should also create a “V” shape as it falls off the paddle. Lastly, if you run your finger through the dough, it should slowly collapse in on itself.
- If the dough does not pass those three tests, whisk the 8th egg in small bowl and add a little bit at a time until the dough is the correct consistency.
- Transfer dough into a piping bag with a star tip.
- Place wax paper on a cookie sheet and pipe the choux into small rosettes, keeping the size consistent (about 1-1.5 in).
- Bake the choux for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Rotate the sheet and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Pastry Cream
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 3 tbs cornstarch
- 6 egg yolks
- 3 oz (6 tbs) butter
- Combine the vanilla extract and milk in a medium pot.
- In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks until it is a pale yellow color.
- Place butter in another bowl with a strainer on top of it.
- Bring the milk to a boil and then remove it from the heat.
- Temper the milk slowly into the yolk mixture and then transfer it all back into the pot.
- Whisk on medium heat until the custard is boiling and the starch has cooked out, causing it to thicken.
- Remove from heat and pass the custard through the strainer, onto the butter.
- Whisk the pastry cream until the butter is fully incorporated.
- Cover the pastry cream directly with plastic wrap, so a skin does not form.
- Place pastry cream in the refrigerator until time to pipe into the puffs.
Ganache
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz bittersweet chocolate
- Bring the cream to a boil.
- Pour cream over the chocolate.
- Let chocolate melt for 5 minutes, then whisk to combine.
Creating the Finished Product
- Poke small holes in the bottom of the cooled puffs.
- Fill piping bag with cream filling.
- Pipe filling into the bottom of the puffs until full.
- Dip puffs directly into ganache or pipe on in any desired pattern.
- Enjoy!