Pistachio Cream Puffs

Shockingly, the sun has been out quite a bit lately, allowing me way more time than usual to play outside!

Of course, this also means less time spent on cooking… Which brings me to my apology for not posting on Tuesday: I’m super-dee-duper sorry! I’m hoping that these delectable cream puffs can make up for my negligence.

These babies are pretty incredible, and while the cream filling did give me a bit of a hard time at first, everything worked out in the end :]

You certainly don’t *have* to cover your puffs in chocolate sauce…

…but I mean… chocolate tends to make things better, right? The chocolate sauce that I used for these is this Hot Fudge recipe from my Ultimate Sundae’s post.

So, let me explain the issue I had with the cream filling… the pastry cream that I ended up with after cooking and cooling it, was not thick enough to be a filling. It was only about as thick as a creme anglaise or ice cream base. I decided to rectify this situation by adding 2 cups of cream to it, and whipping at high speed until it was at soft peaks. If your pastry cream comes out thick enough after cooking, by all means, skip the extra cream, but I have to say that I’m pretty excited about the extra 2-3 cups of pastry cream that I have in the fridge now! It’s bound for a delectable chocolate cake!

There are two ways that one can fill the choux pastries with the cream. The first is to simply slice them in half, pipe or scoop a bit of the cream on top, and close ’em up:

The second way, is to put your cream filling into a pastry bag, stick the tip into the side of of of the puffs, and fill it until the cream starts pushing out the hole:

Both are equally tasty, but I like the surprise associated with the latter. It looks more unassuming. I love the way that when you bite into one, more cream than you ever thought possible comes oozing out. Yes, if you plan on eating these with your hands, prepare for maximum messiness!

Pistachio Cream

recipe adapted from here

ingredients:

• 4 large egg yolks
• 50g sugar
• 20g cornstarch
• 600ml (about 2 1/2 cups) heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 1/3-1/2 cup Pistachio Paste (I use this)
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream (optional, see explanation above in post)

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth.
2. Place the cream into a heavy-based sauce pan, over medium heat, and bring to a light simmer. While whisking the yolk mixture, slowly pour in the cream, constantly whisking (be slow about it, don’t scramble the eggs!). Return the mixture to the sauce pan and stir over low heat until the mixture thickens.
3. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and stir until it has cooled a bit. Whisk in the almond extract and pistachio paste. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until chilled.
4. Add the chilled mature to other bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add in the remaining two cups of cream, and beat until soft peaks have formed. Use immediately, or place in fridge covered in plastic wrap until ready to use.

Choux Pastry

recipe from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking

ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 3 ounces (6 tbsp) unsalted butter
• pinch of salt
• pinch of freshly-grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 425 and line a couple baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
2. In a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, bring the water, seasonings, and butter to a boil until the butter has melted.
3. Remove from heat and pour in the flour all at once. Beat vigorously with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon for several seconds to blend thoroughly. Place the pan back on medium-high heat, and beat for 1-2 minutes until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan, forms a mass in the center, and a thin film begins to develop on the bottom of the pan.
4. Remove from heat and make a well in the center of the mixture. Break one egg into the well, and beat vigorously until it has absorbed; repeat with remaining eggs.
5. Using a medium cookie scoop, drop rounded mounds of the dough onto your prepared baking sheets, about an inch apart. Bake the choux pastry at 425 for 15 minutes until they have risen and are slightly golden. Then, lower the heat to 350 and bake for an addition 15-20 minutes. Turn off the heat and crack the oven door. Allow the pastries to sit in the oven for about 10 minutes before removing and moving to a wire rack to cool completely.