Pate a Choux

(Pastry Puffs)

16oz water

8oz butter

1tsp. salt

1tsp. sugar (2tsp. if desired sweeter)

12oz bread flour

20oz eggs

Procedure:

1.      Melt butter in a medium pan.

2.      Next, add water, salt, and sugar into another pan and on low heat, make sure salt and sugar are dissolved.

3.      Bring butter to a boil and add flour as you whisk vigorously.

4.      Turn off heat and slowly add water to the butter and flour while you whisk it.

5.      Pour into a mixer and continue to mix on low to help cool the batter.

6.      Next, add the eggs a little at a time while mixture is still mixing.

7.      With a pastry bag and a circle icing tip (#804), pipe out batter onto a greased cookie sheet.

8.      Bake at 400 degrees until batter puffs up into round balls (less than 10 minutes).

9.      Take out of the oven, quickly poke a pencil size hole in the bottom of each one, and place back into the oven at 200 degrees to dry out.

This recipe is great for the flavor and look of the finished product. Guests at your holiday event will be amazed, leaving them to believe that it took you a lot longer than it really did. These pastry puff shells are light, sweet, and very crispy. For my holiday events I have filled them with whipped cream, pastry cream, chocolate, and icing. All are amazing combinations with the shells.

My mom and sister in particular love these pastries. Every year we get together in the kitchen and share stories as we make our pastry puffs. Over time I realized that I had to be the one to make the shells, while my mom and sister filled them with the filling. When I let my sister make this recipe we are always left with burnt pancakes on a sheet tray, but do not let this discourage you. My mom and sister have no interest in learning how to make the shells, but just wanting to fill them. If you follow the procedures exactly you can blow through it at ease. Here are some helpful tips:

• ·         Do not boil the water. This evaporates the liquid in your recipe and will make the batter dry.
• ·         Bring the butter to a boil when you are ready to add the four. This will decrease evaporation and allow the flour to absorb the butter without getting clumpy.
• ·         Make sure the butter is fully absorbed before adding your water. This prevents lumps and leaves the batter silky smooth. (Sort of like gravy)
• ·         Mixture should be warm to the touch before adding the eggs, or you will just be making scrambled eggs.
• ·         Once you bag the batter, be sure to pipe out onto your sheet tray quickly. This prevents the batter from deflating while in the pastry bag.
• ·         Pipe batter out with the tip at a 90 degree angle to allow batter to spread out into little round cookies.