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01/02/2012 National Cream Puff Day Chouquettes: French Cream Puff

Source of Recipe

David Lebovitz


Recipe Introduction

It’s National Cream Puff Day! Cream puffs are rich desserts that made their debut in the United States in 1880. However, the first cream puff originated in Europe sometime during the 1540's when Catherine de Medici's pastry chef created the baked puffed shells for Catherine’s husband, Henry II of France. Cream puffs are unusual pastries. Flour is added to a boiled mixture of butter and water, and then cooked at a high temperature until the mixture becomes a smooth ball of dough with a hollow center. After cream puffs are taken out of the oven, they must be cut in half or the pastry will deflate upon cooling. To celebrate National Cream Puff Day, bake some of your own divine cream puffs to enjoy. Don't forget to top them off with powdered sugar!

List of Ingredients

HOME COOKIN’ 01/02/2012 National Cream Puff Day Chouquettes: French Cream Puff



Chouquettes: French Cream Puff


1 cup (250ml) water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
6 tablespoons (90g) unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
1 cup (135g) flour
4 large eggs, at room temperature
Glaze:
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon milk


Recipe



Crystal sugar (Coarse sugar is available in the US from King Arthur and in some Ikea stores

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees (220 C.) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

2. Heat the water, salt, sugar, and butter in a small saucepan, stirring, until the butter is melted. Remove from heat and dump all the flour in at once. Stir rapidly until the mixture is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the pan.

3. Allow dough to cool for two minutes, then briskly beat in the eggs, one at a time, until smooth and shiny.

4. Using two spoons, scoop up a mound of dough with one spoon roughly the size of an unshelled walnut, and scrape it off with the other spoon onto the baking sheet.

5. Place the mounds evenly-spaced apart on the baking sheet. Brush the top of each mound with some of the egg glaze then press coarse sugar crystals over the top and sides of each mound. Use a lot. Once the puffs expand rise, you’ll appreciate the extra effort (and sugar.)

6. Bake the cream puffs for 35 minutes, or until puffed and well-browned. (If you want to make them crispier, you can poke a hole in the side with a knife after you take them out of the oven to let the steam escape.)
The cream puffs are best eaten the same day they’re made. Once cooled, they can be frozen in a zip-top freezer bag for up to one month. Defrost at room temperature, then warm briefly on a baking sheet in a moderate oven, until crisp.