Cream Puffs

I'm definitely not a baker. Baking has rules and I've never been one for those. However, these cream puffs are easy and really impressive when you have friends over. They are made using choux pastry (pâte à choux in french if you want to be fancy). When they cook, they puff up leaving a hollow inside and a crispy outside making them perfect for filling. The dough is very neutral and doesn't have a lot of flavor so you can fill it with either sweet fillings or savory. Try chicken salad! Yum! The puffs should be filled right before serving or they'll become soggy. My version has a vanilla bean & almond custard, strawberries, and fresh sweetened whipped cream. Click Here to see a little video about vanilla beans if you've never used them before.

Vanilla Almond Custard

2cups Whole Milk
½  Cup Sugar
4 Large Egg Yolks
¼  Cup Corn Starch
2Tbs Butter
½  Vanilla Bean (seeds and pod)
1tsp Almond Extract

In a medium saucepan bring the milk, ¼ of sugar, the vanilla beans and the pod to a simmer. 
In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks cornstarch and the rest of the sugar. Whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture little by little (too fast and you'll cook the eggs). Pick out the pod and discard. Pour the mixture back into the pan and whisk at medium heat until it thickens. Remove from heat. Whisk in the butter (cut in little pieces) until it melts. Whisk in the almond extract. Put a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard (so the top doesn't get crusty) and put it in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours. You can make this custard the day before if you want. After chilling, whisk it until it becomes smooth and soft before using.

Choux Pastry

1 Cup Water

½ Cup of butter (cut up)
¼ tsp Salt

1 tsp Sugar

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

5 Eggs beaten

Preheat the oven to 400.

In a medium saucepan boil the butter, water, salt and sugar on Medium heat. Once boiling, dump all of the flour into the pot at one time and stir it with a wooden spoon until it becomes a smooth ball. Put the ball of dough into a large mixing bowl. Add a little of the beaten eggs and stir until it is incorporated. Add a little more of the egg and stir. Repeat until there are no more eggs. The end result should be kind of like really thick frosting. Put into a piping bag or spoon onto a baking sheet.You can also use a ziplock bag with the corner cut off.

Bake at 400 for 15 min. Then, lower the oven to 350 and bake another 25 minutes or until they are dark golden brown. DON'T OPEN THE OVEN! Unless you want them to deflate and ruin them. Be sure to let them cool before filling or the cream will just melt and make a mess. Cut them in half using a bread knife and fill. You can also just poke a hole in them and fill them with a piping bag. If you wait too long to eat them and they get soggy you can toast them in the oven a bit before serving.

Fresh Whipped Cream

¼ Cup of Confectioners Sugar

½ Tsp Vanilla Extract

2 cups of Heavy Cream

Using a wire whisk beat the hell out of it until it is almost stiff. your arm will get tired but don't get discouraged and give up because the end result is totally worth it. Use a piping bag with a star tip so it looks all fancy.