Choux Pastry

Choux (pronounced "shoo") pastry is a versatile cream puff pastry shell made from a dough. In French, choux means cabbage because of its shape when the dough is piped and baked into cream puffs. The goal in making the perfect choux pastry is to have a crispy crust, light interior, and an even and golden browned shape.

My first attempt with the choux pastry failed miserably, as the blogsite where I copied the recipe did not provide clear and very relevant instructions.  I then did some forensic investigations and understood why.

Firstly, you have to remove the butter and water mixture from the fire the moment it boils.  Secondly, after you have added the flour and mixed them well, let the mixture cool for a few minutes before you proceed to add the eggs.  Both these steps were very relevant in order to not overcook the dough and scramble the egg.  I search a few recipes, and all gave the exact instructions.  The recipe that I had copied omitted these two details, and as a result, my mixture was on the stove from the time I boiled the milk up to the last step of incorporating the egg.  The outcome ? My choux (possibly) tasted worse than my shoe ! No kidding.

I seriously wonder why would anyone write a blog, and be kind enough to provide the recipes yet omit important steps in its preparation ?  I had stumbled upon this blogsite, and it was my first and last time visiting.  Boo.

Enough ranting already. 

For my second attempt, I chose to rely on this recipe by Delia Smith, as her succinct and step-by-step instructions have never failed me.  I followed the steps religiously and true enough, the choux pastry was light, crispy and airy.  Hurray :)

The pastry cream recipe is adapted from Okashi: Sweet Treats Made With Love by Keiko Ishida.  I found it a tad too sweet, although my guineas said they tasted fine.

You will need:

Choux pastry

60 g bread flour, sifted

150 ml cold water

50 g butter, cut into small pieces

2 large eggs

1 tsp caster sugar if you are making a sweet choux, otherwise a seasoning of salt and pepper

Pastry cream

200 g fresh milk
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 egg yoks
50 g castor sugar
20 g cake flour, sifted

Preparation:

Put the cold water in a medium-sized saucepan together with the butter, then place the saucepan over a moderate heat and stir with a wooden spoon. As soon as the butter has melted and the mixture comes up to the boil, turn off the heat immediately, as too much boiling will evaporate some of the water.

Tip the flour in – all in one go – with one hand, while you beat the mixture vigorously with the other. You can do this with a wooden spoon, though an electric hand whisk will save you lots of energy.

Beat until you have a smooth ball of paste that has left the sides of the saucepan clean – this will probably take less than a minute.

Next beat the eggs well, then beat them into the mixture – a little at a time, mixing each addition in thoroughly before adding the next.

Beat until you have a smooth glossy paste. At this stage, lightly grease a baking sheet then hold it under running water for a few seconds, and tap it sharply to get rid of excess moisture. This will help create a steamier atmosphere, which, in turn, helps the pastry to rise.

To make the choux pastry, place teaspoons of the mixture on the baking sheet, leaving 1 inch gap between them.  Bake on a high shelf in a pre-heated oven  at 200 deg Celsius for 10 minutes. After that, increase the heat to 220 deg Celsius, and bake for a further 15-20 minutes until the buns are crisp, light and a rich golden colour.

Pierce the side of each one to let out the steam, then cool them on a wire rack.  Makes about 30 choux pastry.

To make the pastry cream, add milk and vanilla to a saucepan, and bring to a boil.  In a clean bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add flour and mix well.  Add hot milk to the egg mixture and fold through.  Return mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Continue mixing until mixture becomes smooth and glossy.  Remove saucepan from heat.

Transfer pastry cream to a clean bowl, cover with cling film and place in the freezer to cool but not freeze.  Before use, gently beat cream with a electric mixer until smooth and creamy.  Unused pastry cream can be kept in the refridgerator for up to 2 days.

To assemble the cream puffs, cut and fill with the cooled pastry cream.  Refridgerate for about half hour as they are (in my opinion) best eaten slightly cold.

P/S: The pictures above are from my successful attempt the second time round.  My first attempt was an eye sore, and didn't survive long enough for the photo shoot :P.