Creme Puffs

Really great creme puff recipe

Recipe: Choux á la Crème (Cream Puffs with Chocolate Sauce)

DOUGH
3/4 cup milk
Choux á la Crème | Essential Pepin http://blogs.kqed.org/essentialpepin/2011/09/18/choux-a-la-creme/print/
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3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs

FILLING
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup blackberry preserves
1 teaspoon confectioners’ sugar

CHOCOLATE SAUCE
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/4 cups milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

FOR THE DOUGH: Combine the milk, butter, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high
heat. Immediately remove from the heat, add the flour all at once, and mix it in with a wooden
spatula. Return the pan to the stove and stir over medium-high heat until the mixture comes
away from the sides of the pan and collects into one soft lump about the consistency of modeling
clay. Cook for about 20 to 30 seconds, still stirring, to dry the mixture further, then transfer to a
food processor and process for 4 to 5 seconds to cool the mixture slightly.

Beat the eggs in a bowl with a fork until well mixed. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the beaten eggs to
brush on the puffs, and add the remaining eggs to the dough mixture. Process for 20 to 30
seconds, until very smooth.

Lightly butter a cookie sheet. Spoon 6 rounds of dough, each about the size of a Ping-Pong ball
(approximately 3 tablespoons), onto the sheet, spacing them evenly to allow for expansion.
Brush with the beaten egg to smooth the tops and coat the surface of the balls.

Bake for about 40 minutes, until the puffs are nicely developed, browned, and cooked through.
They should hold their shape but still be soft. Open the oven door and let the puffs rest for 10
minutes. Set aside in a draft-free area to cool.

FOR THE FILLING: Whip the cream with the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla in a bowl until
firm. Refrigerate.
Remove the top of each choux puff, cutting around the puff about a quarter of the way down and
lifting off the resulting cap; reserve the tops. Spoon 2 teaspoons of the blackberry preserves into
the base of each puff. Spoon the cream mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe it
into the puffs, piping in enough whipped cream to come up about 1 1/2 inch above the cut
edges. Replace the caps and sprinkle with the confectioners’ sugar. (The puffs can be assembled
a few hours before serving; cover and refrigerate.)

FOR THE SAUCE: Heat the chocolate and milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring
occasionally, just until the chocolate melts. Mix well with a whisk, transfer to a bowl, and
refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until cold.
Place a puff on each of six individual dessert plates, and serve with the chocolate sauce.