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Pate a Choux

Source of Recipe

Submitted by Brandon Johnstun From Martha Stewart Magazine


Recipe Introduction

This is a great recipe to start on pastries. It is very simple, quick and gives you lots of ways to finish it. Pate a Choux means cabbage dough. The pastry puffs up and creates a hollow spot ready for filling. You can fry this like a beignet, or make it savory by adding herbs and grated cheese to make a gougeres. Fillings can be ice cream, pastery cream, chocolate, and covered with powdered sugar. This is a good place for women and kids to start to bake. Then you can feed all the wanna be law enforcement types in your family. Look for the fillings in the same Pastries category.

List of Ingredients

Tools

Pot
Measuring cup
Measuring spoons, 1/2 Tsp, 1 Tsp
Wooden stirring spoon
Bowl
Mixer
Cookie sheet, best with parchment paper
Pastry bag with a large smooth circle
Spoon
Biscuit cutter
Cooling rack
Spatula


Ingredients

1 C Water, 2 Tbl,plus extra as needed
1 Stick unsalted butter
1 Tsp Sugar
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 C Flour, plus extra as needed
5 Lg Eggs
2 Egg whites


Recipe

Serves: 60, or a bunch of kids or 1 lady in the afternoon
Time required: Prepare: 5 minutes Cook: 1 1/2 hours
Oven temperature: 375 degrees
Difficutly: Average to easy


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Combine butter, salt, and water, except the 2 Tbl, in pot.

3. Cook on medium heat until butter is melted and the water just comes to a boil.

4. Remove from heat, add flour, and stir rapidly. Return the pan to the heat, and cook mixture, stirring constantly, until it comes together and pulls away from the sides of the pot, about 5 minutes.

5. Remove saucepan from heat, let cool 5 minutes.

6. Put mixture in mixing bowl.

7. Add eggs one at a time, beating slowly until they are completely incorporated before adding the next egg. Add till pastry is smooth and shiny. Test by touching batter and lifting off, to form a string. If it does not form, add the remaining eggs or add 1 Tsp water at a time till it does form a string.

8. Mark baking sheet parchment paper with an 1 1/2" to 2" biscuit cutter dipped in flour.

9. Transfer the pastry to a bag fitted with a small coupler. Pipe about 1/2 Tbl of pastry into a mound on prepared baking sheet, into the marked areas. Space pastry about 1 1/2 inches apart.

10. Mix egg white with 2 Tbl water. Brush each mound with the egg wash, rounding off the point on top.

11. Bake until puffs are golden brown all over, about 30 minutes.

12. Remove from oven, transfer to wire rack, and let cool completely.

13. Pipe fillings in from the bottom.

NOTE: This batter can be used immediately, or stored in an airtinght container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The prepared pastery can be frozen and used later.

NOTE: To prepare frozen pastries, defrost, then rewarm in oven at 375 degrees till they are crisp.


Serve with

Custards, pastry creams, cheese, meat, stuffing, anything you like.


Variations

*Use cheese and seasonings to make it a savory pastery.