Cream Puffs

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VeraBlue

Executive Chef
Joined
Jul 10, 2006
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northern NJ
I've had this recipe for over 35 years, and have never had a bad batch! They are extremely easy to make.

Profiterole

1C water
1 stick unsalted butter
1C flour
4 Eggs

Cream Filling

3oz package instant vanilla pudding (I told you this was easy)
3/4 C whole milk
1/2 pint heavy cream
1t vanilla

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil water and butter together. Lower heat and add flour, whisking in till no lumps remain and batter pulls away from side of pot. Remove from heat. Add eggs with whisk, one at a time. Be sure to incorporate the egg into the batter before adding the next egg. Batter will be sticky. Drop batter by teaspoon to greased baking sheet, 1 inch apart. Set aside until all batter is used. When you are ready to place pans into the oven, raise the temperature to 450. Put pans in oven and set timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, lower heat to 400 and time for 20 minutes. Total baking time is 30 minutes. Remove from oven, do not wrap. Place on racks to cool, away from drafts and humidity.

Cream Method

Blend milk with instant pudding well, making sure there are no lumps. Whip heavy cream with vanilla till firm. Fold whipped cream into vanilla pudding which has begun to set. Refrigerate until ready to fill the profiteroles.

If you have a pastry bag, you can fill it with cream and inject the filling into the profiterole. If not, you can simply slice the top off and fill with cream, replacing the top. Try to avoid filling the profiteroles overlong before serving them. You have to refrigerate them once they are filled.

Dust generously with confectioner's sugar before serving them.

This makes about 25 cream puffs!
 
I have made these for years - but since I'm a savory "freak" versus a sweet "freak" I use mine for chicken salad! After you remove them from the oven you MUST cut a slit in each one to keep them from getting soggy - normally I cut a slit large enough to open and shove an iced tea spoon in with the chicken salad.

I would think just inserting a knife and giving it a little twist would do the same thing if you are going to fill with the cream. Since I've never done the cream filling I'm sure someone will come along and let you know if you must release the steam or not.

If the urge just strikes you you can make a big pretty plate of these and drizzle with a chocolate sauce. I like to blend coffee and a good-quality chocolate until smooth then drizzle. OK, maybe I like sweets every now and then :blush:
 
Hi Kitchenelf!

I've never really had a problem with them getting soggy until after I've filled them. I rarely make them in summer so humidity is never a problem, either.

You know....you can take the pate choux recipe, add cheese to it (before the eggs)...and then fry them! I imagine you could add anything to the pate choux to make a miriad of savoury appetizers.
 
VeraBlue said:
I've never really had a problem with them getting soggy

Well shoot! I wonder what all that fuss is about in the recipe then! lol Thanks for the cheese idea - I'll have to make your cream filling too - mine is probably considered cheating.

Thanks for the reminder about this great recipe.

Where I used to work the pastry chef would make really big ones, split in half, place a large scoop of vanilla in between then drizzle with the chocolate sauce. I much prefer the smaller ones with the cream filling - just pop them in your mouth - or mildly shove!
 
This sounds excellent. I love the ones that are filled with ice cream.....which leads me to my question, how will these do if I freeze them?
 
I have frozen puffs (without the filling)... I never think they're quite as good after thawing and filling. But it's certainly possible.
 
Chocolate Puffs

I do a chocolate version of cream puffs which are very good.
The recipe is the same except for adding 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cooca powder to the flour.
the filling:
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2/3 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (Nutella)
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts or pecans

Beat together cream cheese and sugar. Gradually beat in chocolate-hazelnut spread and the whipping cream. Stir in nuts. Cover surface with plastic wrap and chill for a time to firm up before stuffing puffs.
then sprinkle powdered sugar over stuffed puffs just before serving.
 
Sorry, what I was meaning was, how do you think they would be if I served them right out of the freezer? :)
 
my65289stang said:
This sounds excellent. I love the ones that are filled with ice cream.....which leads me to my question, how will these do if I freeze them?

The pate choux will soften a bit, but will still be perfectly edible. I'd suggest simply filling them with tiny ice cream balls right before you serve them. If you don't want to be bothered with the ice cream mess that close to service, you can always scoop out the ice cream, put the balls on a baking sheet or in a tuperware container and pop it back in the freezer. That way, when you are ready to serve, all you have to do is open the choux and drop the ice cream in, recover and dust with 10X.
 
SharonT said:
I do a chocolate version of cream puffs which are very good.
The recipe is the same except for adding 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cooca powder to the flour.
.

Ummm...that sounds delicious!!!!:clap:
 
I remember my mother making pate choux from a boxed Betty Crocker Creme Puff mix. The mix was really superfluous, as one still had to do all the handwork.
As a young stay-at-home mom, with plenty of time on my hands, I used the recipe for pate choux from Joy of Cooking, and they turned out perfect the first time. For some reason, I never did fix any dessert puffs, although I always wanted to make chocolate eclairs. This was an act of self-discipline on my part, as I knew I would gain 30 pounds learning to make them.
I've used them for all sorts of savory treats, however. I used to make small ones with various fillings for appetizers.

I loved some of the ideas you all shared, and I'm re-thinking creme puffs. My husband loves sweets, especially chocolate, and if I made some of those, filled with chocolate ice creme, and top with chocolate sauce, he'd be in heaven.

I have a question. I no longer have the strength in my shoulders to beat in the eggs with a spoon, as I was taught. I saw the Ina Garten using her food processer to mix the batter. Have any of you ever tried that?
The alternative would be to have my husband do it...he'd do anything for chocolate.
 
Last edited:
Absolutely you can use the food processor, or a hand held mixer! Although, the idea of husband slavery can have it's perks!:winkiss:
 
I think I would use Ina's recipe at least the first time I used a processor. I use a mixer to do mine and they came out fine. I made over 300 for my dd's wedding, froze them and on the day of the wedding stuffed them with chicken salad. They were delicious.
 
Holy smokes!

I made these this weekend and they were AWESOME I followed the recipe exactly, I have never made these so I decided not to try to tweak anything:) I also put a few in the freezer just to see how they would come out and they were even better (in my opinion). So they are all in the freezer now. Thanks for the recipe, I will be making these over and over
 
my65289stang said:
I made these this weekend and they were AWESOME I followed the recipe exactly, I have never made these so I decided not to try to tweak anything:) I also put a few in the freezer just to see how they would come out and they were even better (in my opinion). So they are all in the freezer now. Thanks for the recipe, I will be making these over and over

I am so happy it worked out well for you!:clap:
 
instant vanilla pudding!? why vera, i'm flabbergasted!
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