Pâte à Choux is definitely one of my favorite childhood pastries. If you add to this soft shells the most delicious filling in the world, Crème Pâtissière, and I'm in heaven! Growing up, I only knew of this pastry as "Bánh Su” and nothing more. I'd finally learned of its real name, choux à la crème, while researching the internet for a good recipe a few years ago. Of course, it is French! I love the taste of the lightly sweetened crème filling when you bite into the soft fluffy, buttery shells. As a child, every time Mom took me to the bakery, I had to have these choux—the taste was so enticing to the point that I recalled stuffing one after another until I was too full to eat. And I definitely did have them for breakfast. When we arrived to America, it took me a while to locate these thin, soft-shell pastries with the smooth crème filling again. I never attempted to make these because they “looked” too intimidating. By no means I could duplicate the bakery-style Pâte à Choux with the amazing egg custard filling...until now! But I finally understood the old say, “You will never know until you try…” I found these choux are fairly easy to make. Although it did take a few trials to mimic the same childhood taste of Crème Pâtissière, I have successful made this filling over the past weekend. It is the BEST choux à la crème I have had in a while. I can proudly tell you that I will no longer be purchasing these at the bakery anymore. I can square an hour of my day to get fresh off the oven bakery-style choux à la crème any time I crave them. And that is so exciting to me! The recipe I introduce today consists of two parts, the light pastry shell called Pâte à Choux that will be filled with a thick, rich Crème Pâtissière. It is definitely a different experience from the usually lighter American cream puff, but every bite is heavenly when it comes to taste. I will also add a section on common failures and things to keep in mind when baking this pastry. So if you are craving for twist on your standard American cream puffs, don't hesitate to try this recipe. I promise you will not regret for baking them. Now, shall we begin? MAKING PATE A CHOUX You not need to remove any of the ingredients from the refrigerator beforehand for this recipe, which I appreciate because I can spontaneously decide that I want choux today, and I can just proceed into making the pastry. First, I beat four large eggs using a fork and leave it aside (Photo 1-2). Next, in a small saucepan, I cook together the water, butter and salt over medium heat until boils. Once the butter has completely melted, I add the flour and removed the saucepan from the heat as I stir the mixture with a wooden spoon (Photo 3-6). I place the saucepan back on the stove and stir the dough continuously. The mixture becomes thicken as the flour gets incorporated in the wet ingredients. Then, I remove the saucepan from the stove and mix for another 1-2 minutes. Here, it is important to spread the dough against walls of the pan to release the hot steam (Photo 7). Finally, I pour half of the egg mixture into the saucepan. Noted that the egg mixture separates the dough into small pieces and the mixture becomes runny (Photo 8-9). However, the mixture will come together as you continue to stir the dough. I add the remaining egg mixture and continue to stir until the mixture becomes smooth and shiny (Photo 10). I pour the dough batter into a pastry bag fitted with a round Wilton tip, and pipe 2.5-3 inch circles on the prepared baking pan lined with a silicone mat. Remember to leave about an inch in between each circle. Alternatively, you can use a closed-star Wilton tip to create a more appealing shape of choux shells if desired. I bake these choux at a preheated oven of 400 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, and then reduced the oven to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for another 20-25 minutes. I leave the oven door so that water vapor could escape, and finish baking for another 5 minutes. I leave these choux to cool on the baking tray. The choux on the left are piped using the round tip, whereas the choux on the right are piped with a closed-star tip. MAKING CRÈME PATISSIERE In my opinion, this is the best filling to pair with pate a choux. First, I beat the egg yolks and granulated sugar at medium speed (Speed 4 on a Kitchenaid stand mixer) for about 2-3 minutes, or until the egg mixture turns to a light yellow color (Photo 1). This is done when the mixture flows down like a ribbon when the whisk is lifted up. You can use the hand whisk, but I found that it is best to beat with the stand mixer while I prepare for the other ingredients. Then, I fold the cornstarch into the egg yolks and mix well (Photo 2-3). In a small saucepan, I boil the milk to simmer over medium-high heat until bubbling for about 1-2 minutes (Photo 4). I slowly pour the “hot” milk into the egg yolk mixture and stir continuously to create a smooth mixture and to prevent the milk from scrambling the eggs. I continue to whisk the milk-egg yolk mixture until well combined (Photo 5-6). I pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low-heat just until it thickens for about 2 minutes (Photo 7). It is important to continue to stir the mixture to prevent burning. Do NOT leave the saucepan on the stove for too long, as the mixture will become thicker as it cools down. Finally, I remove the crème mixture from the stove and add salt, butter and vanilla extract, and whisk well until the crème become a silky smooth texture (Photo 8-9). Alternatively, you can make Crème Pâtissière by placing all the ingredients in a clean saucepan and cook the mixture on low-medium heat. However, the disadvantage of this method is that it is easier to create clumps and chunks. *Tips for common failures:
ASSEMBLE PATE A CHOUX WITH CREME PATISSIERE FILLING Once these choux and crème filling are completely cool, I pipe the crème into the bottom of each choux using a pastry bag fitted with a round Wilton tip. Another way to add the filling is by cutting a line around the "belly" of the choux and pipes the crème in. You can spice things up with different appearances by using a variety of piping tips. However, these pastries are tasty in any looking forms, thus it may be best to keep them simple. Pate a choux can be stored in a refrigerator for up to a week. Or you can bake, filled them with the crème and freeze them for up to 2 months. If you decided to freeze your choux, make sure you remove them from the freezer for at least 30 minutes so the shells could get slightly soften. My husband does not eat like sweets or pastries much, but he was all over this choux after I gave him one to try. My kids are not big fans of choux pastry either; however, I am sure it's just a matter of time before they become addicted to these desserts like I once was. Trust me, this recipe is relatively easy, fast and does not require any complicated equipments. You can even make these pastries without a stand mixer. I hope you will enjoy this delicious dessert as much as I do. xoxo, Tristina Choux à la Crème RecipeMake: 25 puffs Total time: 1 hour Ingredients Pâte à Choux
Crème Pâtissière
Instructions Pâte à Choux
Crème Pâtissière
Assemble Choux Pastry
***Choux recipe is adapted from Joy of Baking. ***Crème Pâtissière recipe is adapted from The Little French Bakery. COPYRIGHT © 2018 - SUGAR & PEARLS ~ CAKE DESIGNS BY TRISTINA
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This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies. Opt Out of CookiesAboutTristina TiepNhu Nguyen is a pharmacist by weekday and a baker by weekend. She is also a wife and a mother of two children. Free Cake Tutorials!Sign up for my newsletter and you will be the first to know about my new recipes and cake tutorials!
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