If the Choux fits... make it!

Ok... so the blog's title references choux pastry and yet... I hadn't shown you any. I know, I know... this probably should have been my first post, but I forgot to take pictures the first time I tried this recipe so this time I made sure to take a few.

I made my choux pastry into cream puffs this time, but the same recipe can be used for profiteroles and eclairs (if you just shape your choux a little differently... explained later).

So here goes...

You will need:

Choux:
1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. water
2 eggs, lightly beaten

*from Joy of Baking

Pre-heat oven to 400 F (205 C).

Pre-mix the dry ingredients and set aside. Put butter and water into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and add dry ingredients into the saucepan. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon, reduce heat and return to the burner stirring continuously until the dough mixture pulls away from the sides of the pot, forms a thick ball, and forms a thin film on the bottom of the pan. At this point remove from heat and turn off element. Lightly beat the eggs and set aside. Continue to mix the dough to release the steam. When the dough becomes lukewarm to the touch the eggs can be added to the mixture. Mix well to form a thick and sticky dough.

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease well. When forming choux, it is easiest using a pastry bag... one can be easily made by filling a ziplock type bag and cutting off 1/4 in. of one of the bag's corners.

At this point you'll need to decide the shape of your choux. For cream puffs or profiteroles you'll want to form  round mounds. For eclairs you'll want to form thick rectangles. If using a pastry bag (or similar) pipe 12 equal portions onto your baking sheet. Now you can brush your pastry lightly with an egg wash (1 lightly beaten egg)... this will help smooth out any points or mishaps left during piping. Dipping your finger in water will also allow you to flatten out any points left on top of your pastry, but will not leave the same shine as an egg wash.

When your choux has been formed and your oven pre-heated... place your choux in the oven for 15min. at 400 F (they should puff up during this step) and then reduce the temperature to 350 F and continue to bake for another 30min. or until your choux becomes a light amber color and are dry inside. Turn the oven off  and leave the choux in the oven to cool slowly with the oven door ajar.

The difficulty with choux is not under baking or over baking them... under baking the choux will cause your pastry to lose volume once pulled out of the oven... flop. Over baking your choux will leave the bottom of your choux black and your pastry will be over dry and rock hard. Get to know your oven and whether it runs too hot or too cool and adjust accordingly.

The following recipe links can be used to fill and finish your perfect pastries!

*Whipped Cream for Filling
*Custard for Filling
*Chocolate Ganache-Frosting

Once your choux has been prepared you can begin to fill and top your desserts.

For Cream Puffs (Round Choux, Whipped Cream, Powdered Sugar):
Slice each of your round pastries in half to form a top and bottom. Pipe or dollop the whipped cream filling onto the bottom half of the choux and place the top gently on the whipped cream. Lightly dust with powdered sugar for your traditional cream puff.

For Profiteroles (Round Choux, Ice Cream, Chocolate Topping):
Slice each of your round pastries in half to form a top and bottom. Place a small scoop of ice cream (typically vanilla) onto the bottom half of your pastry and place the top of the pastry on the ice cream to form a sort of sandwhich. Drizzle the top with your chocolate glaze to produce the classic profiterole.

For Eclairs (Rectangle Choux, Custard, Chocolate Topping):
Use a piping bag with a plastic or metal piping tip to carefully fill your rectangle pastry from one end to the other. The custard may continue to ooze out the end if too much pressure is applied when piping into the end. If piping is not your cup of tea, simply slice your rectangle in half making sure the bottom half is thicker than the top half. Doing this lets you fill the choux a little more without the custard oozing out the sides. Spread the chocolate topping on the top of your choux and you've got a traditional eclair.

I personally like to mix and match these toppings and fillings to produce custard-filled cream puffs and sugar dusted profiteroles and the like.

*Tips/Hints/Suggestions:

Add a little berry preserves to the whipped filling to produce a fruity version of the cream puff or a little cocoa to make it a sinful delight.

Use different kinds of ice cream to make your own signature profiterole!

The chocolate chips in the chocolate topping can be replaced with cocoa, but you will need to add a little extra butter (approx. 3Tbsp. cocoa + 1Tbsp. butter = 1/4 c. chocolate chips, you may need a little extra sugar to compensate for sweetness)

Best of all explore your own imagination to make combinations of the above to form your very own signature dish.



ENJOY!

Key Lime... Cheesecake!

No this is not Key Lime Pie... it's Cheesecake! When I originally decided to attempt cheesecake, I had no idea what I was in for. I followed the first recipe to a T... and while the cheesecake filling was good, the oh-so-delicious graham cracker crust was... well... a massive disappointment.

So what did I do... try try again... and adapt of course!

I've used this recipe and variations of it a few times and it never fails me... give it a try...

You will need:

Crust:
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 Tbsp. sugar
6 Tbsp. butter, melted

Filling:
24 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. corn starch
3 eggs
1 Tbsp. grated lime zest (or more to taste)
2/3 c. key lime juice

*adapted from Key Lime Cheesecake I

Pre-heat your oven to 300 F (150 C)

Crush graham crackers until they have an even consistency then add the sugar and melted butter. Mix well. Press graham cracker mixture into the bottom and partially up the sides (~ 1-in.) of a 9-in. springform pan. Refrigerate until your filling is ready.

To make the cheesecake filling, room temperature ingredients are best. Thoroughly beat the softened cream cheese, sugar, corn starch, and lime zest until light and fluffy. This is the only stage you can beat well without increasing your cheesecake's risk of cracking during baking. Add the eggs and lime juice. Finish mixing by hand, do NOT over beat... once the eggs have been added try to minimize the addition of air into your cheesecake.

Once the cheesecake filling is ready, pull your graham cracker crust out of the fridge and pour your filling into the crust slowly and level off. Place the cheesecake into the oven and place a shallow pan (13x9 in.) half filled with water on the oven rack just below your cheesecake. The second pan filled with water will help reduce any cheesecake cracking during the baking process. Set the timer for 55-65 min.

The cheesecake is ready when just the center of it shows a little jiggle when gently shaken. Make sure you turn the oven OFF at this point, then leave the cheesecake the oven for another 30 min. with the door open, just a little, to allow for a slow cool down. Allowing the cheesecake to cool slowly also helps keep the cheesecake from cracking. Remove from oven and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight before serving for best results.

For the decorative topping seen in the picture... I made candied lime peel and key lime syrup:

Candied Peel Recipe & Simple Syrup

*Tips/Hints/Suggestions:

I hate wasting good things and believe you can usually make do with things you already have in your kitchen...

When making the graham cracker crust... more graham cracker is better in my book! So if you have a little extra... throw it in! Just make sure to adjust the butter and sugar measurements accordingly.

Try using vanilla or honey cookies in place of the graham cracker for a variation on the traditional crust. (Chocolate cookies would be good, but maybe not for a lime cheesecake) Use the same proportion of butter, but depending on the cookie sweetness leave out the sugar.

This recipe makes a lime cheesecake, but I have used raspberries in place of the lime juice and left out the zest... worked out GREAT! If you're looking for a plain cheesecake, leave out the corn starch and lime ingredients and add a little vanilla extract instead.

ENJOY!

S'more Please!

Gotta love S'mores... the epitome of childhood and campfires. I do not have a campfire in my home soooo... what could be cooler than making S'more Cookies! Now I'll admit I found this recipe on another blog... I know, I know... I'm a horrible baker blogger. I guess my justification is that I will only post recipes that I have had success with and that I find quite tasty.

Here goes!

You will need:


3/4 c. softened butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. flour
1 1/4 c. graham cracker crumbs (~ 1pkg.)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. mini-marshmallows

*adapted from Cookie Madness

Pre-heat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Prepare a parchment covered baking sheet or grease the sheet well.

Blend the butter and sugars until fluffy. Slowly add in the egg and vanilla until well mixed. Use a small blender to crush your graham crackers (or by hand) until they are an even consistency. Add the flour, graham cracker, salt, and baking soda to the wet mixture and mix well.

Make 1-inch balls out of the dough (refrigerate a little if needed) and place on your prepared baking sheet a couple inches apart (the cookies do spread out). Bake for 8min. in pre-heated oven. Remove and quickly press in your desired amount of chocolate and marshmallow and return to the oven for another 3-4min.

And wahlah! S'more Cookies!

**Tips/Hints/Suggestions:

I'm a fan of not wasting materials and utilizing what you have on hand...

Because the flour and graham crackers are similar consistency when thoroughly crushed I used one full package of graham crackers which amounted to ~1 1/4 c. You can add more flour if your graham crackers do not amount to that once crushed, as long as you keep the two ingredients combined at 2 1/4 c. total.

If you like MORE chocolate you can add chocolate chips to your dough before rolling into balls... and then you can still top with chocolate chips OR for a more fancy look, you can break up Hershey bars for the top.

If you do NOT have mini-marshmallows you can cut up larger marshmallows into smaller pieces and use those instead.

ENJOY!