Pâte à Choux (Cream Puff) with Custard Filling

Pâte à Choux (Cream Puff) is a luxury dessert that can be easily made at home.  Since I have seven egg yolks left after making "beauty" dessert, I decided to use them to make custard filling for Pâte à Choux (cream puff).   There is nothing like homemade creamy, milky and buttery custard to go with choux puff - it's so nice!   

 

I like to use microwave to make custard, very convenient and can save a lot of time.  Within 10 minutes, smooth and creamy custard is ready (see recipe below).  As for Pâte à Choux,  you will never go wrong with Michael Rulman's recipe. He blogged about Pâte à Choux twice in 2009, and the entries were posted in his cooking books, one of which is Elements of Cooking.  He applies his famous ratio into this recipe: equal parts water and egg, half as much flour and butter. That's it. 

For those who are not used to piping bags, I suggest you use ice-cream scoop.  It really works well.  Dip the scoop in the choux paste, and plop the ball on the baking sheet. You’ll end up with balls of choux paste all the same size with rounded top. They look much like tiny cabbage after baking. You know what, the word choux in French means cabbage :).  

 

These golden puffs are light and crisp. With delicious custard filling, it's a double treat!  They are easy to make and gone really fast.  A great dessert to serve your family and friends.

 

EGG CUSTARD (MICROWAVE VERSION)
(Recipe adapted here)

Ingredients

• 250g milk
• 50－60g egg yolk (~ 3 eggs)
• 50g caster sugar
• 10g cake flour
• 10g corn flour
• 20g butter (unsalted)  

Directions:

1. Heat up milk in microwave for 3 minutes, or, bring to a boil.
2. In a medium bowl, mix egg yolks and sugar. Add in cake flour, corn flour and mix well.
3. Add boiled milk slowly to the flour mixture, stir well.
4. Transfer to a microwave safe container, cover with cling wrap. 
5. Heat up for 5 minutes (take out and stir every one minute) until reach desired consistency.
6. Take out from microwave, add melted butter and mix well.
7. Set aside.

Note: I doubled the ingredients to use up my 7 egg yolks.


PATE A CHOUX (CREAM PUFF PASTRY)
(Recipe from Michael Rulman)

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup eggs (4 large eggs)

Directions

1. Bring the water and butter to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, add the flour and stir rapidly. The flour will absorb the water quickly and a dough will form and pull away from the sides. Keep stirring to continue cooking the flour and cook off some of the water, another minute or two. Transfer the paste to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or to a bowl if you're using a hand mixer. 
2. Add the eggs one at a time mixing rapidly until each is combined into the paste. The paste will go from shiny to furry, slippery to sticky as the egg is incorporated. The pâte a choux can be cooked immediately at this point or refrigerated for up to a day until ready to use.
3. Spoon  or pipe it onto a baking sheet . Remember to press the peaks down with a moistened finger.
4. Bake in a hot oven (425 for 10 minutes, 350 for another half hour or so, is ideal) .

Note:  I  used ice-cream scoop at step 3.