Bonjour, culinary explorers! If you’ve ever wanted to impress your friends with a French dessert that’s sophisticated yet surprisingly simple, look no further than this recipe for classic cream puffs. Light, airy, and filled with luscious pastry cream, these cream puffs are the perfect way to bring a bit of Paris into your kitchen.
Ingredients
- Whole milk โ 480 ml (2 cups)
- Vanilla bean โ 1, seeds scraped
- Sugar โ 133 g (2/3 cup)
- Cornstarch โ 32 g (1/4 cup)
- Egg yolks โ 6
- Butter โ 14 g (1 tablespoon), cold
- Water โ 240 ml (1 cup)
- Salt โ 1/2 teaspoon
- Butter โ 113 g (1/2 cup)
- All-purpose flour โ 120 g (1 cup)
- Eggs โ 3 to 4
- Powdered sugar โ to taste, for dusting
Step-by-Step Guide
- Infuse Milk
Heat the whole milk on medium, adding the vanilla seeds. Let it simmer gently and infuse, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat just before it boils. - Mix Dry Ingredients
Combine sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. Set aside. - Prepare Yolk Mixture
Add egg yolks to the sugar mixture and whisk until pale and thick. - Temper Yolk Mixture
Slowly whisk some of the warm milk into the yolk mixture. Then combine with the remaining milk. - Cook Pastry Cream
Return the mixture to the heat, whisking until thick and smooth. Stir in cold butter. - Transfer & Cool
Pour cream into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface to prevent skin from forming. Cool in the refrigerator. - Prepare Choux Pastry
Boil water with salt, sugar, and butter. Stir in flour, then cook for 1-2 minutes until a smooth dough forms. - Beat in Eggs
Transfer the dough to a mixer. Beat at low speed, adding eggs one at a time until smooth and glossy. - Pipe & Bake
Pipe the dough onto a lined baking sheet. Bake at 220ยฐC (425ยฐF) for 15 minutes, then reduce to 190ยฐC (375ยฐF) and bake until golden. - Fill & Dust
Once cooled, fill puffs with pastry cream. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
These delightful cream puffs are a joy to make and even more wonderful to eat. Share them with family and friends, and watch them disappear! Bon appรฉtit! ๐ฐ
