Choux à la Crème

Instructions

1. 1

   Make pâte à choux: bring water, butter, sugar, and salt to a rolling boil. Add flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides and a thin film forms on the bottom of the pan, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time until the dough is smooth and shiny and falls from a spoon in a thick, slow V-shape.

2. 2

   Pipe mounds of dough (about 2 tablespoons each) onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 400°F for 25–30 minutes until deep golden and completely hollow when tapped. Do not open the oven before 20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

3. 3

   Make pastry cream: heat milk until steaming. Whisk yolks with sugar and cornstarch until thick. Stream in hot milk while whisking, return to saucepan, and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the cream boils and thickens dramatically, 3–4 minutes. Stir in butter and vanilla. Press plastic wrap to the surface and refrigerate until cold.

4. 4

   Fold whipped cream into the chilled pastry cream to create a lighter crème légère. Fill a piping bag fitted with a small round tip and inject the cream into the bottom of each choux puff. Dust with powdered sugar or dip tops in chocolate glaze. Serve within 1 hour of filling.