Profiteroles/ Eclairs/ Cream Puffs

According to wikipedia:

A profiterole, cream puff, or chou à la crème is a filled French choux pastry ball with a typically sweet and moist filling of whipped cream, custard, pastry cream, or ice cream. The puffs may be decorated or left plain or garnished with chocolate sauce, caramel, or a dusting of powdered sugar.

An éclair is an oblong pastry made with choux dough filled with a cream and topped with chocolate icing. The dough, which is the same as that used for profiterole, is typically piped into an oblong shape with a pastry bag and baked until it is crisp and hollow inside.

 

Yield: 10 pieces for cream puff, eclairs

Method: Pate a choux

 

Ingredients:

1 recipe choux pastry

1 recipe pastry cream

1 cup ganache, warmed

1/2 cup sugar

 

 

Procedure:

1. Pipe out choux pastry . Flatten the pointed part wet hands. 
2. Bake at 400 F for 30 minutes and reduce temperature at 350F until dry. Allow to cool at room temperature.
3. Fill pastry with pastry cream, then chill for 30 minutes.
4. For profiteroles and eclairs dip the tips of the pastries in ganache.
5. For cream puff, dip the tip of the pastries in dry caramel.
6. To make the dry caramel; heat a sauce pan until hot, slowly add sugar. Once sugar starts to caramelizes stir with a wooden spoon. 

 

COMPONENTS:

a. Pate Choux:

Yield: about 12 cream puffs

Method: Choux pastry

 

Ingredients:

150g water

63g butter

2g salt

2g sugar

105g bread flour

3pcs. Whole eggs

As needed 30g egg white

 

Procedure:

1. In a pot, mix water, butter, salt, sugar
2. Turn on the fire in low heat to allow the butter to melt, and not to evaporate the water.
3. Mix using wooden spoon.
4. Once the butter is dissolved, turn the heat into full blast until rolling boil appears.
5. Dump the flour into the pot; Mix vigorously until skin is forming in the pot.
6. Transfer to bowl; scatter on bowl.
7. Add 1 egg at a time. Mix vigorously until it comes together and egg is absorved. Until 3 eggs are incorporated.
8. May add white egg if proper consistency is not yet reached.
9. Mix until it forms a v shape when elevated and until smooth.
10. When ready to use, put in a piping bag.

 

b. Pastry Cream

Yield: approx. 600 g

Method: Filling

 

Ingredients:

225g milk

25g butter

20g cornstarch

63g sugar

40g egg yolks

 

Procedure:

1. In a pot: Mix milk, half of the sugar and butter with whisk. Scald it in low to medium heat.
2. In a bowl: Mix egg yolk, last half of the sugar and cornstarch with whisk.
3. Pour the scalded ingredients in the bowl while mixing with whisk.
4. Pour all the ingredients on the pot while slowly mixing with whisk in a low fire heat, until it thickens. Whisk faster if lump is forming. It should be cooked well.
5. Put in a sizzle plate covered with plastic wrap. It should be flat. 
6. Chill. Put in a piping bag to use.

 

c. Ganache

Yield: 1 cup

Method: Icings

 

Ingredients:

125g bitter sweet chocolate

75g whipping cream

 

Procedure:

1. Half melt the chocolate
2. Scald the cream; pour into chocolate. Mix until well combine.
3. If mixture is too thick, heat over Bain marie.