Cream Puffs Recipe

One of the favorite recipes I like to bake. It's definitely a crowd pleaser. :)

Pastry Shell (Pate a Choux) Ingredients:
200g Water
70g Butter
2g Salt
2g Sugar
140g Bread Flour, sifted
200g Eggs (est. 3 eggs + 1 yolk)

Pastry Cream:
450g Milk
50g Butter
40g Cornstarch
125g Sugar
4 Eggyolks

Ganache:
25g Heavy Cream
75g Dark or Bittersweet Chocolate. chopped

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease baking sheet or pan.

To make the Pastry Shell:

1. combine water, butter, salt, and sugar in a pot and heat on top of the stove until all butter is dissolved and bring to a gentle simmer.
2. Lower the heat and dump all the flour. Stir until there is no dry flour. Stir until it gathers into a ball and does not stick to the sides. (*see notes)
3. Transfer the cooked flour to a mixing bowl and stir until cooled.
4. Add eggs one at a time. (*see notes)
5. Put the batter into a piping bag and pipe to pans.
6. Bake in the oven for 15-25 minutes.

 To Make the Pastry Cream:

1. In a heavy bottom pot, Combine milk, butter, and half of the sugar. Heat on top of the stove until simmering lightly. (*see notes)
2. While waiting to simmer, whisk together the rest of the sugar, eggyolks, and cornstarch until light.
3. When the milk mixture simmers, scoop a few cups of the milk mixture to the egg mixture and continue to stir. This will temper the egg mixture to prevent it from forming into paste when added to the milk mixture.
4. Pour the tempered egg mixture to the pot while stirring continuously.
5. Stir until you reach the nappe consistency. (*see notes)
6. Let cool. Stir from time to time to avoid forming the skin. (*see notes)

 To Make the Ganache:

1. In a double boiler, heat the heavy cream.
2. Add chocolate and let it melt in the cream. Stir constantly. It will help if the chocolate is chopped evenly so they melt all at the same time.

Assembly:

1. Poke holes underneath the pastry shells 
2. Fill pastry bag with pastry cream.
3. Pipe into the pastry shells.
4. Dip tops of the cream puff into ganache.
5. Sprinkle your favorite toppings.

Notes:

Pastry Shells

• When cooking the flour in the water mixture, you can remove the pot from the heat so you can work on mixing it more evenly without the liquid drying quickly. Then bring the pot back to the heat to continue cooking.
• When adding eggs. make sure to mix until you can no longer see the egg before adding another one. Resulting mixture should be sticky and creamy in consistency.

Pastry Cream

• Do not boil the milk mixture. Just let it simmer a little bit and add the egg mixture.
• Nappe consistency is when you dip a spoon into the cream and you run your finger horizontally, what was left on the top does not run down the spoon.
• The skin forms when left exposed and not stirred. When it is cool enough, you can cover with plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap touches the cream.

Have fun baking! :)