Cheaters Cream Puffs Puff Pastry Recipes

HOW TO MAKE CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• For the pastry cream:In a large bowl, whisk 1/4 cup milk, cornstarch, flour, and egg yolks. Set aside.Combine remaining 2 3/4 cups milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. Add seeds and vanilla pod to the pan. Heat over medium-high heat until boiling. Remove from heat. Gradually whisk about half of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Pour the egg mixture back into the pan. Heat on medium heat, constantly stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 30 seconds then remove from heat. Pour the mixture through a fine sieve placed over a bowl. Once the cream has gone through the sieve, stir in the butter until melted and combined.Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the cream and refrigerate until chilled, several hours. Whisk before using. For the cream puff shells (choux pastry):Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, heat water, butter, and salt until mixture comes to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Remove pan from heat, add flour all at once, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. Once all of the flour is incorporated, place the pan back over medium-high heat. Stir continuously for 2-3 minutes until dough is smooth, shiny, and is pulling away from the edges of the pan. Place dough into a bowl of an electric mixer and let cool for 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl each time. Beat until egg is fully incorporated. After the third egg, the mixture will start to look fluffy when beaten. Before adding the fourth egg, check the batter. Lift a silicone spatula with the batter over the bowl. If the batter hangs off the spatula in a V-shape, there's no need to add the final egg. If not, add the egg and beat until fluffy. Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip. Pipe the batter into 12 rounds on the prepared cookie sheet. With a wet finger, tap down any peaks on top. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350ºF and bake for 15 minutes more. The batter should have risen and puffed. Turn off the oven, crack the door, and let the puffs rest in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the puffs from the oven, gently lift off of the sheet, and place on a wire cooling rack. Pierce the side of each with a paring knife to allow steam to release. Let cool completely before filling.For the sweetened whipped cream:Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and continue whipping the cream until stiff peaks form. To assemble the cream puffs:Whisk the cooled pastry cream. Fold in the whipped cream until combined. Place cream in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Cut the cream puffs in half. Pipe the cream generously on the bottom half. Place the top half on the cream. Dust with powdered sugar. (Alternately, spoon the cream into the cut shell.)Best served soon after filling, cream puffs may be stored in the refrigerator. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

CREAM PUFFS I

Steps:

• For the custard: In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 5 tablespoons flour and a pinch of salt. Stir in milk, a little at a time, until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 60 seconds, then pour a small amount of hot liquid into the 2 egg yolks, and stir. Then return now heated egg yolks to saucepan and stir, over heat, until mixture starts to bubble again. Remove from heat, add vanilla. Cover and chill in refrigerator.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• For the pastry: In a medium saucepan, combine shortening and water and bring to a boil. Sift together 1 cup flour and a pinch of salt and pour all at once into boiling mixture. Stir vigorously until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat, and add eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition. Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheet, or pipe into desired shape.
• Bake 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce heat to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and bake 25 minutes more, or until golden. Cool completely, split, fill with custard, and replace tops.

CREAM-FILLED PUFF PASTRIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
• Fold a 12-inch square sheet of aluminum foil in half, turn and fold in half again; you should have a small square. Now, fold diagonally and once more again. You will now have a triangle. Wrap it around your index finger and mold into a cone shape. Repeat 9 more times to make 10 molds. (Note: these can be reused.) Lightly spray the foil molds with nonstick spray.
• Lay out the puff pastry sheet on a work surface with one of the long sides facing you. Cut the pastry into 3/4-inch-wide strips from top to bottom to make 20 strips. Wrap 2 pastry strips around each mold, overlapping a little with each wrap. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and bake until lightly browned around the edges, 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the cream cheese and butter in a bowl. Add the confectioners' sugar in batches with the salt. Gently fold in the blackberry preserves (so there is some veining). Transfer to a disposable pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to let the filling firm up.
• Pipe the filling into each pastry from the wider end. Serve with a dusting of confectioners' sugar and some blackberries and mint.

CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit 1 large pastry bag (or a plastic freezer bag with 1/2" cut from one bottom corner) with plain 1/2" tip.
• Bring milk, butter, 1 teaspoon sugar, salt, and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add flour all at once; reduce heat to medium-low. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until a dough forms and pulls away from sides of pan, 1-2 minutes. Continue beating vigorously until a thin dry film forms on bottom and sides of pot, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl.
• Add 1 egg and stir vigorously with wooden spoon until egg is incorporated and dough looks dry again, about 2 minutes. Repeat with 4 more eggs, adding one at a time and stirring vigorously to incorporate before adding the next. Dough should be smooth, shiny, and thickened.
• Spoon dough into prepared pastry bag; pipe out 2 1/2"-diameter rounds on prepared sheets, leaving 2" between rounds. DO AHEAD: Freeze the piped dough rounds on the baking sheets, then transfer to resealable plastic bags and freeze for up to 1 month. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets, spacing apart (do not defrost) before continuing with recipe.
• Arrange racks in upper and middle thirds of oven and preheat to 450°F. Whisk remaining egg with 2 teaspoons water and brush dough rounds all over with egg wash.
• Transfer baking sheets to oven; turn oven off. After 10 minutes, heat oven to 350°F and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate pans front to back and top to bottom; continue baking until deep golden brown all over, about 10 minutes longer (puffs will deflate if removed from oven before fully baked). Transfer puffs to a wire rack and let cool completely.
• Using a serrated knife, gently slice the top quarter off each puff; transfer tops to a plate. With your finger, gently push down the soft film of cooked dough inside each puff.
• Prepare a second pastry bag (or freezer bag) with 1/2" open-star tip. Beat heavy cream and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Spoon whipped cream into prepared pastry bag. Fill each puff with cream, finishing with a generous ring of cream on top. Dust tops of cream puffs with powdered sugar; place atop puffs.

CREAM CHEESE PUFF PASTRIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Unfold pastry sheet onto cutting board; cut into 12 squares. Press 1 pastry square onto bottom and up side of each of 12 muffin pan cups sprayed with cooking spray.
• Bake 15 to 20 min. or until pastry cups are puffed and golden brown. Meanwhile, mix cream cheese and mozzarella until blended.
• Use rounded handle of wooden spoon to press hole into center of each pastry puff, being careful to not press through to bottom of cup. Fill each hole with 1 tsp. pasta sauce and about 1 Tbsp. cream cheese mixture.
• Bake 7 to 10 min. or until filling is heated through. Sprinkle with remaining ingredients.