CREAM PUFF WARS

When I was a young, kid I remember vividly at one point, being totally distraught, frustrated, mentally exhausted and over all totally panicked about the rest of my life. My life stalling dilemma was an incredible inability to draw or write the number 2. I was a complete disaster at it. It took me a few days to master the calligraphic craft of illustrating the second digit in the Hindu -Arabic Numeral system. I mean, you would have thought I was actually making up math the way I flailed about moaning and defeated for those two…longest days. But in the end, I got the grasp of it! I was so damned proud.

When I was older still, I had another proverbial number two that encroach on my personal well being. It was the, never ever once dreaded before, Pâte à choux. Choux pastry is the pastry dough used in making eclairs, profiteroles or cream puff depending on what side of the Atlantic you live, and my absolute favorite doughnut in the world the French Cruller.

This entirely simple recipe yeilds roughly 30 choux:

250 ml of water
a pinch of salt in the water
125 grams of unsalted butter
135 grams of plain flour
4 eggs

Melt the butter in warming water and add flour.

Use a spatula to whisk flour into water and butter making a type of roux.

Once you have your dough, allow to cook for a minute or two over low heat. Continue to stir. Careful not to over work.

Take off the heat and in the same sauce pan, on a counter top or chopping board, add 4 eggs, one at a time. Stir each egg quickly into the mix, not allowing the white to cook. Your dough will separate upon introduction with each egg. No problem, stir-mix until the dough comes back together. As soon as it does you are ready to add your next egg. Step and repeat.

Once finished with your eggs, put into a pastry piping bag and pipe away your desired shapes and sizes. Cook in a pre heated oven at 180 C for 15 minutes. Allow to cool & dry. They can then be stored in the freezer until using. Flash under heat just before serving and fill with your favorite filling.

This recipe is breezy, C’est sincerely! Enjoy. I put this up for my sister Alex to try with her new silicone cooking mats.