pâte à choux (with water or milk?)
Cream puff pastry is one of my favorite recipes. It is very popular in Francis home region on the French-Swiss border where all his family members seem to have their own variation on cheese puffs. So, as a new member of the family, I was inducted with lessons in everyone’s secret technique (much like with the classic French salad dressing recipe I shared earlier on this blog). I love the recipe because it is so versatile–add cheese and pinch of cayenne and you have savory cheese puffs… but it is also great for several sweet treats: topped with big sugar –you have chouquettes; filled with cream and strawberries –you have cream puffs; filled with ice cream and topped with melted chocolate –you have profiteroles! This is one of the first recipes I taught my son when he asked me to teach him to bake at 12 years old.
NOTE water or milk can be used for different effects and consistencies as you can see in the picture above where I made them with water (on the left) and milk (on the right). Personally, I prefer them made with water.
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup water
3 TBS unsalted butter
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar
2 eggs
Heat oven to 425F. Measure the flour and have it ready by the stove. Then bring to a boil the water, butter, salt and sugar. Immediately turn off the heat, add all the flour at once and mix with a wooden spoon until everything comes together as a smooth ball. Add the eggs and immediately mix with an electric mixer until you note a change in consistency (the dough will become smooth, thick and shiny when ready). Spoon the mixture onto a greased & floured cookie sheet with ample space in between. Bake for 10-15 minutes (or until puffed and golden).
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