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Cream Puffs

Source of Recipe

From "Screen Doors and Sweet Tea" by Martha Foose


Recipe Introduction

"From her little Water Street café in Yazoo City, Miss Hattie B. kept the town supplied with light-as-a-cloud cream puffs. They were her specialty. Little girls would delight in receiving one if they tap danced on the counter to delight her."

List of Ingredients

Puffs:
â—¦ 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon salt
â—¦ 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter
â—¦ 4 large eggs

Filling:
â—¦ 2 cups whole milk
â—¦ 1 cup granulated sugar
â—¦ ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 large eggs
â—¦ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
â—¦ ½ cup heavy cream
â—¦ Confectioners' sugar, for dusting


Recipe

Make the puffs:
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
Sift together the flour and salt in a bowl. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup water and the butter to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the flour all at once. Beat with a wooden spoon for 1 minute. The mixture will form a ball and leave a thin film in the bottom of the pan.

Remove from the heat and transfer to an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the paste until it is no longer steaming, about 6 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325° F and bake for 20 minutes, or until no beads of sweat are on the surface. Remove from the oven and cut a small slit in each puff for steam to escape. Let cool completely.

Make the filling:
Fill a large bowl halfway with ice water.
In a small saucepan, bring 1 ½ cups of the milk to a boil over medium heat. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the sugar and flour. Slowly whisk in the remaining ½ cup milk until smooth. Whisk in the eggs.

Reduce the heat under the milk so that the milk simmers and then slowly whisk in the egg mixture. Cook and stir until the mixture is very thick and boils for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Cool the mixture in the ice bath, whisking frequently. When cool, remove from the ice bath and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Whip the cream and then fold it into the custard. Fill the puffs and dust the tops with confectioners' sugar.

Makes 12 cream puffs