Chocolate Ganache For Cream Puffs Recipes

CHOCOLATE CREAM PUFF SWANS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats.
• Stir water, butter, 1 teaspoon white sugar, and salt together in a pot; bring to a simmer. Add flour and stir with a wooden spoon until mixture pulls away from the sides of the pot and forms a thick, paste-like dough. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Stir eggs into dough one at a time, mixing until egg is completely incorporated after each addition. Transfer 2/3 the dough to a large resealable plastic bag. Cut corner of the bag away, about 1/2-inch wide, to form an opening through which to pipe the dough.
• Pipe 8 tapered ovals of dough onto the prepared baking sheet to form the 'swan bodies', pulling up at the tapered end to form the 'tail/wingtips'.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
• While the 'swan bodies' are baking, fill a smaller bag with with the remaining 1/3 the dough; cut a small tip from the corner. Pipe out S-shapes to form the swan 'necks'. At the top of each S, pipe out more dough to form the swan 'heads'.
• When the 'bodies' are halfway cooked, bake the 'necks' in the oven together with the swan 'bodies' oven until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Turn off the oven, open the oven door slightly, and let pastries cool completely.
• Cut the top 1/3 off of each swan body horizontally, from fatter end to tapered end. Cut each top in half to form the 'wings'.
• Place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Bring 4 ounces heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour hot cream over chocolate and whisk until chocolate is completely melted and ganache is shiny and smooth. Spoon or pipe chocolate ganache into the base of each swan 'body'.
• Beat 1 cup cold cream in a chilled glass or metal bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and vanilla extract, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. Transfer whipped cream into a piping bag with a star tip.
• Pipe cream to fill each swan 'body', piping up and out the top to resemble swan 'feathers'. Place 'wings' on each side of the 'body' sticking up out of the cream, and place 'neck' in the base of each swan. Refrigerate until chilled. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

CHOCOLATE CREAM PUFFS (WITH CHOCOLATE FILLING AND GANACHE TOPPING)

Steps:

• In a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch. Place the bowl next to the stove.
• In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the milk and heavy cream to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly.
• Decrease the heat to low and whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture to slowly temper it. Then, slowly whisk the tempered egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and cook, whisking constantly, until the filling is thick and coats the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt until smooth and fully incorporated, 1-2 minutes.
• Pour the custard into a strainer placed on a medium heat-proof bowl, and use a spatula to press the cream through the strainer into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent it forming a skin. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Also, prepare the egg wash by combining the egg and water in a small bowl and set aside.
• In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon and cook for about 2-3 minutes until a film forms on the bottom of the pan. Stir constantly while cooking.
• Then transfer the dough to a large heat-proof bowl and let cool for about 2 minutes.
• Still using the wooden spoon, stir in one egg at a time. You will notice that after every egg, the dough will separate. Keep stirring until the dough comes together again before adding the next egg. Repeat until all the eggs are incorporated. Once all eggs are incorporated, the dough will be sticky but firm enough to hold a stiff peak.
• Transfer the dough to a piping bag, pipe 1.5" (3.5-4cm) circles on the 2 prepared baking sheets, and spin the tips. You can stick a bit of dough to the baking sheets underneath the parchment paper to hold the paper in place and make piping easier. Press down the tips of the dough with wet fingers to even them.
• Lightly brush with egg wash and bake one sheet at a time for about 30-32 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Don't open the oven while the choux pastry is baking, or it will collapse. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Transfer the filling to a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Using the tip of a sharp knife, cut a little X into the bottom of each choux pastry, then pipe the filling into the puffs. Set aside.
• Place the chopped chocolate in a large heatproof bowl, pour the hot whipping cream over the chocolate and let rest for 1-2 minutes. Stir until smooth and the chocolate has completely melted. Add the corn syrup and stir until combined. Let rest for about 5 minutes.
• Dip the tops of the filled puffs into the glaze and place them on a wire rack to let dry. Store leftover cream puffs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

ECLAIR CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Place a mixing bowl in the freezer to chill.
• Combine the water, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the flour. Cook and stir until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Spread the dough evenly in the bottom of the baking dish.
• Bake the pastry in the preheated oven until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. (The dough will rise and make a boat shape, but should drop as it cools.) Cool completely on wire rack.
• Remove the chilled mixing bowl from the freezer and pour in 2 cups of cold whipping cream. Whip until the cream thickens, about 1 minute; stir in the confectioners' sugar and the vanilla extract. Continue to whip until the cream forms stiff peaks. Refrigerate the whipped cream while you mix the pudding.
• Pour the pudding mixes and the milk into a mixing bowl and stir until creamy. Fold in the whipped cream. Spread the filling over the cooled crust and refrigerate.
• Place the chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Bring 1 cup of cream almost to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to soften for 1 minute. Whisk the mixture until smooth. Let the mixture cool slightly to thicken, about 10 minutes. Pour the ganache over the cream filling, spreading to cover the entire surface. Return the pan to the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Steps:

• Place chopped chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to gently simmer. (Do not let it come to a rapid boil- that's too hot!) Pour over chocolate, then let it sit for 2-3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate.
• With a metal spoon or small rubber spatula, very slowly stir until completely combined and chocolate has melted. The finer you chopped the chocolate, the quicker it will melt with the cream. If it's not melting, do not microwave it. See Troubleshooting Chocolate Ganache in blog post above.
• Ganache can be ready to use as a drizzle or you can let it sit at room temperature to cool and thicken. It will fully cool within 2 hours. Refrigerating speeds this up, but the ganache will not cool evenly. Stir it a few times as it sets in the refrigerator so it remains even and smooth.
• Once completely cool and thick, the ganache can be piped with a piping tip or scooped with a spoon. You can also beat the cooled thickened ganache with a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until light in color and texture, about 4 minutes on medium-high speed.
• Cover tightly and store ganache in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Once ganache cools completely, you can cover it tightly and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator. To rewarm or thin out again, stir constantly over low heat on the stove in either (1) a double boiler or (2) in a heatproof bowl placed over a pot of simmering water. Don't let the bottom of the bowl touch the simmering water.

CREAM PUFFS WITH CHOCOLATE GLAZE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
• 2. Into a medium sized sauce pan place the butter and water. Bring to a boil.
• 3. Stir in the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a mass in the center of the pan and can easily be removed from the sides of the pan.
• 4. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
• 5. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing with hand held beaters between each egg.
• 6. Add the salt and stir well.
• 7. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and use a 1 1/2 inch scoop to scoop the batter from the sauce pan and on to the sheet.
• 8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the puffs are dry and golden brown.
• 9. Allow them to cool to room temperature.
• 10. To make the cream filling, place the pudding and milk into your stand mixer and beat on high for 3-4 minutes. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl several times to make sure that the dry pudding mix doesn't get stuck to the bottom of your bowl.
• 11. Allow the pudding to sit for a few minutes. It will continue to thicken up for you.
• 12. Take a serrated knife and cut each of the cream puffs in half.
• 13. Spoon the cream filling into the bottom half of each cream puff, then top with the other half.
• 14. To make the chocolate glaze, place the chocolate chips and cream in a glass measuring cup. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring after each one until the chocolate is smooth and silky.
• 15. Add the vanilla and salt and stir well. All the mixture to sit for 3-4 minutes.
• 16. Carefully spread a dollop of the chocolate glaze over the top of each cream puff.
• Serve and enjoy! Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.

PISTACHIO CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Add all ingredients into a medium sized bowl, then mash together with a spatula or your fingers until an uniform looking dough forms.
• Place the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper, then roll the dough out to be about 1/8" thick (Try to make it into a perfect rectangle, as it makes cutting out the circles easier later). Place into the freezer for at least 30 minutes, while you make the choux.
• Preheat oven to 475°F. Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper. Also prepare a pastry bag by adding a plain ½" tip.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add milk, water, butter, 1 tbsp sugar, and salt, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add flour in the pot, all at once, and begin to stir very quickly. A ball of dough should form relatively quickly. Continue cooking, stirring vigorously, until a dry film begins to form on the bottom and sides of the saucepan. Remove from heat.
• Place dough into a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat for about 30 seconds to a minute, to cool the dough down. Add one egg and beat until completely incorportated (the dough should look dry again). Continue adding eggs one at a time, ensuring that each is completely incorporated before adding the next, scraping at the sides of the bowl occasionally. After the 4th egg, place remove paddle from mechanism and place deep into the batter, if the batter forms a nice "V" shape off the paddle, it is ready. If the batter still looks thick and does not form a nice "V" then add another egg. Dough should be thick and very sticky, but also shiny and smooth.
• Add dough to the piping bag, and pipe directly onto parchment lined baking sheets. Pipe about nine equal 2" rounds per baking sheet (about 18 total).
• Cut out 18 rounds out of the cold craquelin topping, about the same diameter as the piped cream puffs. Place each round onto a piped cream puff, lightly pressing it down to secure it.
• Place into the 475°F oven, for exactly 1 minute then immediately turn the oven off. After 9 minutes, turn the oven back on to 350°F, and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Rotate pans and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the cream puffs are puffed (~ 30 minutes of total baking time). To ensure the cream puffs are finished, remove one of the oven and check if it deflates within 45 seconds - if it deflates they are not finished.
• When done, turn the oven off, and crack the oven 1/3 way open. Allow cream puffs to cool for 30-45 minutes in the cracked oven. Then, remove from oven and allow to cool completely before filling.
• Place chopped white chocolate into a medium size mixing bowl, then set aside.
• Place heavy cream into a medium pot over medium heat. Heat until the mixture just begins to come to a low boil. Remove from heat and pour over top of the chopped chocolate. Allow the mixture to sit for 1 minute, then whisk together until all the chocolate has melted and the ganache is very smooth.
• Add the pistachio paste, then whisk again until smooth. Place a piece of plastic wrap over top of the surface of the ganache and place into the fridge to cool for at least 8 hours, or preferably overnight.
• When cooled, place the ganache into your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip the ganache until stiff peaks have formed.
• (Optional) For added texture, fold in some finely ground pistachios (you can grind these yourself with you food processor).
• Using a serrate knife, cut off the top of each cream puff. Using a spoon or a piping bag fitted with a star tip, fill each cream puff with whipped chocolate ganache. Then place the top back on and dust with confectioners sugar. Enjoy immediately or keep in the fridge until ready to serve.