pâte à choux and pastry cream

i first made pâte à choux (pronounced paht-ah-shoo) shortly after starting culinary school. i remember feeling slightly overwhelmed by the frenchness of it, especially since i was being taught the technique by a very french chef. i also distinctly remember being fascinated by the play-doh look of the paste as the flour, butter and liquid come together to form a heavy ball in the warm saucepan.

one mistake i’ve repeatedly made is slightly underbaking pâte à choux because i’ve judged based on the color of the outside of the pastry as it bakes rather than tearing one open to make sure the interior is fully cooked. the only way to prevent this mistake, unfortunately, is to sacrifice one or two pâte à choux to be sure the inside is done. the consolation is you can eat what you’ve sacrificed.

pâte à choux

1 lb. water, milk or half water, half milk note: the more milk you use, the more tender the end product is; for eclairs, i use all water so they are sturdy enough for a large blob of pastry cream filling
8 oz. butter
1 t. salt
1/4 oz. sugar
12 oz. bread flour
1 lb. 4 oz. eggs

in a medium saucepan, heat the liquid, butter, salt and sugar up to a boil. remove the pan from the heat, and add the flour all at once, stirring quickly. return the pan to the heat, and continue to stir until the paste pulls away from the sides of the pan and leaves a thin film on the bottom. the paste should come together in a large ball when you shake the pan. remove the pan from the heat and let it cool slightly.

move the dough to a standing mixer with a paddle attachment. turn it on medium speed. now, one at a time, add your eggs, being sure to incorporate each one before adding the next. you might not need all your eggs to finish the dough. to test it, turn off the mixer, and streak your forefinger deeply through the dough. the dough should just come together to form a crease after you remove your finger. if the two sides stay separated, it isn’t quite ready. if they collapse into each other, you’ve gone too far. begin using this little test after incorporating the fourth egg.

from this point, you can do just about anything with pâte à choux. it is a perfect foundation for canapes. pipe little balls of the paste onto a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 375 degrees F and finish baking until they are well-browned and crisp. open one to make sure the inside is fully cooked. once they’re cooled, you can fill or top them with crab or tuna salad; cucumber, salmon, fresh dill and cream cheese; pears, goat cheese, walnuts and honey; cheese and salami–the only limit is your imagination. below, i am sharing a recipe for ganache-dipped éclairs.

filled to bursting!

ganache-dipped éclairs

pâte à choux
pastry cream (recipe follows)
chocolate ganache (recipe follows)

preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. using a piping bag and a large round tip, pipe the pâte à choux dough into strips about 3/4 inch wide and 3 inches long onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. don’t touch the tip to the pan; you want the éclairs to get some height. bake at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 375 degrees F and finish baking until well-browned and crisp.

pastry cream

1 qt. milk
4 oz. sugar
3 oz. egg yolks
4 oz. whole eggs
2.5 oz. cornstarch
4 oz. sugar
2 oz. butter
1 T. vanilla extract

in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the milk and sugar just to a boil. beat the egg yolks and whole eggs in a separate bowl. sift the cornstarch and second quantity of sugar into the eggs, and beat until the mixture is smooth. temper the eggs by slowly streaming some of the hot milk into the bowl, whisking constantly. pour the tempered egg mixture into the hot milk, and, while constantly whisking, bring the whole thing to a boil, until “it bubbles like lava,” according to Chef Kim. you will be amazed at how much it thickens with the addition of the cornstarch.

remove the pale yellow lava from the heat, and stir in the butter and vanilla. mix until completely blended. to store, plop the pastry cream into a shallow bowl or pan and cover with plastic film. make sure the film touches the surface of the pastry cream so it doesn’t form a skin. chill in the refrigerator.

chocolate ganache

7 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
9 oz. heavy cream

in a medium saucepan, heat the cream just to a boil. pour over the chocolate, and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the two are nicely blended. set aside at room temperature.

take your pastry cream out of the freezer. stir vigorously to make it malleable. fill a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip. using the tip, poke one hole near each end of the bottom of your baked, cooled pâte à choux. lightly squeeze the filling in one end, and keep filling just until you see the pastry cream begin to plug up the other hole on the bottom. repeat the procedure until you’ve run out of pastry cream or pâte à choux. now, carefully lift each éclair, and dip the top in the ganache.

éclairs should be eaten right away, since they don’t keep much more than a day. you won’t find it difficult to finish them.