Good evening gents. I am making Choux pastry tonight. It will be baked into small puffs for the lady's tea at church tomorrow evening. This is my first time making it and so far it is a breeze. I bounced around the net looking for the definitive choux recipe and they all seem to follow a set ratio of ingredients. Two parts flour, two parts liquid(I used half milk, half water), one part butter, and a pinch of salt. Since this is a dessert I added one tablespoon of sugar as well though classically it does not seem to call for it. Follow this up by adding two eggs for each cup of ingredients including the liquids.
Mixing was easy. Bring the liquid, butter, salt, and sugar to the boil. Add the flour all at once and cook over medium heat till it is well homogenised and making a ball of dough that pulls away from the sides of the saucepan. I cooked mine till I thought it was dry enough. I then transferred it to the Kitchen Aid stand mixer and whipped the devil out of it for a few minutes. This REALLY releases steam and heat from the dough which is good because you are going to add a lot moisture with the eggs. I lightly beat the eggs together in a bowl and added ahem...one at a time. This was the trickiest part for me. It looked a gooey mess and I thought I had surely bollocksed it up. Not to fear. After the last two eggs went in and I increased the speed of the beater it came together nicely. I was using the whisk attachment and the paddle homogenised it much better. It is now sitting in the bowl awaiting the wife's return from the store with a piping bag. I will let you know how they turn out. I love cream puffs and if I am successful then my waistline may take yet another hit.
Regards, Todd
Mixing was easy. Bring the liquid, butter, salt, and sugar to the boil. Add the flour all at once and cook over medium heat till it is well homogenised and making a ball of dough that pulls away from the sides of the saucepan. I cooked mine till I thought it was dry enough. I then transferred it to the Kitchen Aid stand mixer and whipped the devil out of it for a few minutes. This REALLY releases steam and heat from the dough which is good because you are going to add a lot moisture with the eggs. I lightly beat the eggs together in a bowl and added ahem...one at a time. This was the trickiest part for me. It looked a gooey mess and I thought I had surely bollocksed it up. Not to fear. After the last two eggs went in and I increased the speed of the beater it came together nicely. I was using the whisk attachment and the paddle homogenised it much better. It is now sitting in the bowl awaiting the wife's return from the store with a piping bag. I will let you know how they turn out. I love cream puffs and if I am successful then my waistline may take yet another hit.
Regards, Todd
Pate a choux is easy to make and very versatile. The cream puffs alone are worth the trouble. You can also pipe soft ice cream into the puffs instead of cream and then dip the tops in chocolate. You can do savory versions and serve as an appetizer.
