Or Profiteroles
Choux pastry, or Paté à choux in French, is the simple preparation for making those wonderful puff shells or profiteroles, which we have all come to love, like this elegant chocolate cream puff. All it really consists of is a very thick white sauce, sometimes called a panade of flour, water, butter, eggs, and seasoning, for creating the most light, puffy, and amazing loved sweets and savory appetizers!
They take you back to your childhood with a little plate of nostalgia. They are so easy to make, and I hope to show you here how easy they really are so you can make them at home.
How To Make Choux Pastry
You can quite easily make your own choux paste in ten minutes! And here's how!
- All it really consists of is a very thick white sauce, sometimes called a panade of flour, water, butter, eggs, and seasoning.
- With a pastry bag or a scoop, create small mounds on a buttered baking sheet or one covered with parchment paper.
- Make long log-style mounds for chocolate éclairs. Be creative! (Just make sure all the puffs on one baking sheet are relatively the same size.
- Pop them in the oven and cool before filling.
To Serve
- Split the puffs in half and fill with vanilla ice cream, fresh whipped cream, crème pâtissière, or crème fraîche
- Drizzle with chocolate or caramel
- Sprinkle with nuts, candied fruit, and crushed candies
- For savory apps, fill with cream cheese flavored with salmon, herbs, garlic, chives, etc.
Arrange on a serving plate or individual plates, garnish, and serve at once.
They really are the ultimate tea time treat.
Delicious French Recipes To Try
📖 Recipe
Prep Like a Pro
Before you start cooking, chop, measure, and prep every ingredient, and gather your tools.
This simple habit reduces stress, prevents overcooking, and instantly improves your meals. Mise en Place - "Everything in its place."
Choux Pastry Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup plain all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup water
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter cut into pieces
- 3 eggs
- Pinch of nutmeg optional
For Serving
- ½ cup icing sugar to sprinkle on top or chopped hard candy, nuts, candied fruit
- 1 cup chocolate broken in pieces and ½ cup as needed, warm water for drizzle
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas 6
- Sift the flour together with the salt and nutmeg.
- Put the water into a heavy bottomed medium pan, add the butter and bring to a boil.
- Remove it immediately from the heat and quickly add the flour mixture.
- Beat well with a wooden spoon and continue to beat until the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
- At this stage, place the pan back on a low heat and continue beating for about 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and place mixture in a bowl to cool down.
- When cool enough to prevent the eggs from cooking, make a well in the middle and place one egg in the well and beat into the mixture until well absorbed.
- Continue with the other eggs in the same way one at a time, it should be easier with the last egg.
- The mixture should now be shiny and smooth.
- Drop tablespoons of the mixture onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet with a scoop, leaving a space between each one to allow the puff to expand.
- You can also use a piping bag with a ½ inch round tube opening if you prefer.
- Place into a pre-heated oven and bake for about 20 minutes until crisp and golden brown.
- Take out of the oven and pierce each puff to allow the steam to escape.
- Turn the oven off and place the puffs back in the oven with the door ajar for about 10 minutes.
- Remove and allow to cool on a wire tray.
- Place the chocolate and water in a bowl in a pan over hot water (or in a double boiler if you have one) and allow the chocolate to melt, stirring as it melts.
- Keep warm while you fill the puffs with your choice of filling.
Notes
- If the dough is too runny, it will not cook into a light puff. As you mix the dough, add the liquids in smaller amounts to be able to control the consistency of the dough.
- Keep an eye on them when in the oven; you want them cooked but not too brown.
Loved it, tweaked it, or not your "cup of tea"... I’d really love to hear how it went for you.