Eclairs and Cream Puffs
Let me first say that I am so honored to be writing for the Well-Fed Network and I am really excited for my first post! Due to Labor Day, I had a lot of time on my hands this past weekend and did a lot of baking. I was inspired by this month’s Daring Bakers challenge and decided to try my hand at making pâte à choux. In case you are not familiar with pâte à choux, it is basically a pastry dough used to make cream puffs and eclairs. I followed Alton Brown’s recipe exactly as written, and it worked out wonderfully.
I used a pastry bag fitted with a round tip and piped the eclairs and cream puffs onto parchment paper and baked according to the directions. The dough held it’s shape after it was baked and the inside was nice and hollow and ready to be filled with a delicious pastry cream. The pastry cream recipe was given to me by a friend and is from the cookbook Baking at Home with the Culinary Institute of America. I then melted some bittersweet chocolate and thinly piped it over the eclairs and cream puffs. Although I thought the recipe might be a bit difficult and require way too much time, it was quite easy and really worth the effort because they truly were absolutely delicious!
Enjoy!
Sweet or Savory Pate a Choux
Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown.
1 cup water
3/4 stick butter (6 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon sugar plus 1/8 teaspoon salt (for sweet)
1 teaspoon salt (for savory)
5 3/4 ounces flour
1 cup eggs, about 4 large eggs and 2 whites
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Boil water, butter, and salt or sugar. Add flour and remove from heat. Work mixture together and return to heat. Continue working the mixture until all flour is incorporated and dough forms a ball. Transfer mixture into bowl of a standing mixer and let cool for 3 or 4 minutes. With mixer on stir or lowest speed add eggs, 1 at a time, making sure the first egg is completely incorporated before continuing. Once all eggs have been added and the mixture is smooth put dough into piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe immediately into golfball-size shapes, 2 inches apart onto parchment lined sheet pans. Cook for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees F and bake for 10 more minutes or until golden brown. Once they are removed from the oven pierce with a paring knife immediately to release steam.
Photo by me.
