Cream Puffs

Cream Puffs are the most perfect dessert in existence: crisp, tender and airy pastry encasing cold, creamy ice cream and napped by dark, luxurious chocolate sauce.



Source : Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs plus 1 large egg white(need 1/2 cup only)
• 5 tbsps unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces(do not replace)
• 1 oz whole milk(makes the puffs brown faster)
• 3 ozs water
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 ozs unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted

Method:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Spray large(12 by 18 inch) baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper, set aside.
3. Beat eggs and egg white in measuring cup, you should have 1/2 cup(discard excess). Set aside.
4. Bring butter, milk, water, sugar, and salt to boil over medium heat, stirring once or twice. When mixture reaches full boil(butter should be fully melted), immediately remove saucepan from heat and stir in flour with heatproof spatula or wooden spoon until combined and mixture clears sides of pan. Return saucepan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, using smearing motion, for 3 minutes, until mixture is slightly shiny with wet -sand appearance and tiny beads of fat appear on bottom of saucepan(temperature of paste should register 175 to 180 degrees F on instant-read thermometer).
5. Immediately transfer mixture to food processor and process with feed tube open for 10 seconds to cool slightly. With machine running, gradually add eggs in steady stream. When all eggs have been added, scrape down side bowl, then process for 30 seconds until smooth, thick, sticky paste forms.(If not using immediately, transfer paste to medium bowl, cover surface flush with sheet of plastic wrap sprayed lightly with nonstick cooking spray, and store at room temperature for up to 2 hours)
6. Fold down top 3 or 4 inches of 14 or 16 inch pastry bag fitted with 1/2 inch plain tip to form a cuff. Hold bag open with one hand in cuff and fill bag with paste. Unfold cuff, lay bag on work surface, and, using hands or bench scraper, push paste into lower portion of pastry bag. Twist top of bag and pipe paste into 11/4 to 11/2 inch mounds on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 to 11/4 inches apart (you should be able to fit about 24 mounds on baking sheet).
7. Use back of teaspoon dipped in bowl of cold water to smooth shape and surface of piped mounds.
8. Bake 15 minutes (do not open oven door), then reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake until golden brown and fairly firm(puffs should not be soft and squishy), 8 to 10 minutes longer.
9. Remove baking sheet from oven. With paring knife, cut 3/4 inch slit into side of each puff to release steam, return puffs to oven, turn off oven, and prop oven door open with handle of wooden spoon. Dry puffs in turned off oven until centers are just moist(not wet) and puffs are crisp, about 45 minutes.
10. Transfer puffs to wire rack to cool. (Cooled puffs can be stored at room temperature for up to 24 hours or frozen in zipper lock plastic bag for up to 1 month. Before serving, crisp room temperature puffs in 300 degrees oven 5 to 8 minutes, or 8 to 10 minutes for frozen puffs)
11. Serve puffs with a scoop of ice cream preferably vanilla and napped with chocolate sauce.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Whisk the sauce gently so as not to create tiny air bubbles that can mar its appearance.

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 tbsp light corn syrup

3 tbsp unsalted butter cut into 3 pieces

salt

6 ozes bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine

Bring heavy cream, corn syrup, butter and salt to boil in small nonreactive saucepan over medium-high heat. Off heat, add chocolate while gently swirling saucepan. Cover pan and let stand until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Uncover and whisk gently until combined. (can be cooled to room temperature, placed in airtight container, and refrigerated for up to 3 weeks. To reheat, transfer sauce to heatproof bowl set over saucepan of simmering water. Alternatively, microwave at 50 percent power, stiring once or twice, 1 to 3 minutes)

Serves