Come closer. Closer. Don't be shy.
Gently grab me between your fingers and draw me closer to your lips. Slowly.
Bite me. Go ahead, bite me. Again.
Let me fill your mouth with sweet nothings.
What you see is what you get with these little guys. Very little on the outside and even less on the inside. Have as many as you desire; no strings attached.
Well, maybe a few strings of chocolate and whipped cream if you're the type who eats these in two, instead of one bite. In which case, simply lick the remains away and carry on.
Is it just me, or is there something devilishly sexy about choux pastry? Is it it's light, airy, delicate, nothingness? Or that it's French? Oui! Oui! Oui! to all of the above.
I love the combination of flaky-meets-creamy-meets-bittersweet and how they come together to fill a void. I love that they are not too sweet, as we added very little sugar to the whipped cream filling and sugar did not make the ingredients list for the pastry.
So, it's probably accurate to say that one may eat as many as it takes to sate one's sweet-tooth and not worry about growth of the horizontal nature. Right? A resounding Yes! Glad we are in agreement.
And who could resist these edible water birds, with their long, elegant necks and whipped creamy feathers! No ugly ducklings to be found among the bunch. There is beauty even in the misshapen ones, and there were many of those.
Week 7. This is another first for me. I love me a good eclair, but like so many, have always been intimated about making them. I almost worked up the courage when my bloggy bud Paula from Vanilla Bean Baker quelled her fear and produced these prefect Cream Puffs. Check out her pictorial - there is a great shot of the inside of the pastry. That void just waiting to be filled. Mmm.
Much easier than I could have ever imagined. I'll definitely be making these again, with a savoury twist, perhaps!
Cream Puffs & Eclairs
The perfect balance of flaky-meets-creamy-meets-bittersweet chocolate in one bite.
Ingredients
Method
- Melt butter completely in a saucepan over med-low heat.
- Add salt and water and bring to a rolling boil.
- Add flour and stir briskly until the paste (roux) has gelatinized and comes away clear from the sides of the saucepan.
- Transfer dough to a mixing bowl and with the paddle attachment mix paste on low speed until it has cooled slightly.
- Add eggs gradually, two at a time, mixing well until thoroughly incorporated between each addition. This will help prevent lumps.
- When the consistency of the paste is similar to that of cake batter, transfer to a piping bag. Pipe logs (eclairs) and circles (puffs), about 2 inches apart, onto paper-lined baking sheets using a plain tip.
- Bake at 400ºF for 30 minutes.
To make the filling:
- With the whisk attachment, whip the cream until stiff peaks form, adding sugar to taste along the way.
- Use a Bismarck pastry tip to fill the puffs and eclairs, or slice in half and pipe using an appropriately sized star tip.
To make glaze:
- Add chocolate to a bowl and place over a pot with simmering water. Do not allow the bottom of the bowl to come into contact with the water in the pot. Stir the chocolate until melted and smooth.
- Allow to cool a little then dip tops of pastry in chocolate and allow to dry.
Sue Alexander says
love choux pastry, just so yummy!
Art Et Délices ByMeriem says
They look DELICIOUS! very puffy! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe as they are one of my favorite french patisserie 🙂 . Meriem
G Pavao says
Oh my, these look so yummy. I wouldn't mind having one (or two) right now.
Regina @SpecialtyCakeCreations says
Oh my, very sexy indeed! I love to follow your culinary school adventures. Thank you so much for sharing. Those swans are amazing.
I Sugar Coat It! says
So nice to see you here, Meriem! Thanks.
I Sugar Coat It! says
It so hard to stop at one or two.
I Sugar Coat It! says
Mmmmmm...
I Sugar Coat It! says
And they speak to you in french! What more can a girl ask for! 😉
Paula Kelly-Bourque says
Oh how I love choux pastry! Your cream puffs are making me want an entire plateful and your swans came out beautifully!
I Sugar Coat It! says
Oooh, these were such fun to make! I kept thinking about you and your post the entire time. 🙂
I Sugar Coat It! says
Some instruction on the chocolate, and how big and spacing would have been nice, I didn't know how big to make them or how far to space so mine got a little too crowded, other than that they look wonderful, thanks!
I Sugar Coat It! says
Good point, Brittany! Re: spacing - 2" is a good rule. I'll update the recipe. Thanks for the feedback.