DESSERT UNIVERSITY by ROLAND MESNIER

Author:ROLAND MESNIER
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SIMON & SCHUSTER
Published: 2004-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHOUX PASTE

Pâte à choux is as versatile as puff pastry but requires less time and elbow grease to make. Small baked choux puffs filled with savory fillings make elegant hors d’oeuvres. Filled with pastry cream or ice cream, they become cream puffs, éclairs, and profiteroles.

Choux paste consists of a liquid, flour, and butter mixture that is cooked on the stove, then mixed with eggs to make a batter that is just thick enough to pipe. While many recipes call for water, I like to use milk. Choux puffs made with water just don’t taste as rich and buttery and don’t brown as well as those made with milk. It is crucial that you stir the flour in all at once and very quickly to dissolve it. If you don’t, your choux paste will have lumps that you won’t be able to get rid of.

Choux puffs and éclair shells rise quickly in the oven, becoming hollow containers for fillings. But they must remain in the oven well after they puff, in order to completely dry out. If you don’t bake your choux puffs or éclairs long enough, they will collapse as they cool. To avoid this, prop open the oven door slightly with the handle of a wooden spoon to release any moisture after the pâte à choux has puffed, and bake until they are golden brown and feel dry to the touch. If the surface still gives, put them back in the oven until completely dry on the outside.

PTE À CHOUX

Makes enough choux paste for about 24 é clairs, 24 cream puffs , or 110 small petit-four-size puffs

1 cup whole or 2 percent milk

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup plus ½ tablespoon all-purpose

flour

4 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine the milk, butter, and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

2. Remove the pan from the heat and quickly stir in the flour all at once, using a wooden spatula. When the flour is dissolved and the mixture is smooth, return the pan to the heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. The mixture will be quite thick, the consistency of dry mashed potatoes.

3. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs and then the yolk, one at a time, mixing until each is just incorporated and scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary. Do not overmix the dough or it will become oily and will not puff in the oven the way it should. (Alternatively, you may mix the eggs in by hand with the wooden spatula.) The dough will be a thick liquid. To test for the proper consistency, spoon some up with your wooden spatula and tip the spatula to see how fast it runs down the flat surface. It should run very slowly. If it is too thick and not running at all, stir in a little water, a tablespoon at a time, until it is a little bit looser.

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