New recipe from Chef Bret – Saint Joseph’s Day Cream Puffs. This is a great recipe to brighten up a gray March weekend. Deceptively simple, these beautiful cream puffs are pretty impressive coming out of the oven. Let us know what you do to create your own family’s version!
Saint Joseph’s Day Cream Puffs
Yield 24 – 30 depending on size
On March 19 every year, many Italian households celebrate the feast of San Giuseppe by making zeppole, or cream puffs. Each household has their own variation, but this is a great recipe for creating your family’s own version.
The cream puff shells can be made ahead and frozen. Fill with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla pastry cream.
Tips for Success
When making the choux pastry, it is important to be sure that each egg is fully incorporated into the batter before adding the next. Don’t worry if the batter separates and looks curdled at first. Keep beating, and it will come together nicely.
½ cup water
½ cup Cedar Summit Farm milk
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted PastureLand butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon (½ ounce) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (4 ½ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
4 large eggs
½ teaspoon pure almond extract
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Line 2 baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt and bring to a boil. Add the flour and baking powder all at once and stir it in with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms; stir over low heat until it dries out and pulls away from the pan, about 1 – 2 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. Crack eggs into a pourable container and add almond extract. Beat the eggs into the dough, one at a time, incorporating thoroughly between each one.
4. Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a ½ inch round or star tip and pipe tablespoon-size mounds onto the baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
5. Bake for 22 – 25 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Cool to room temperature.
6. Use a small knife to cut off the top third of each cream puff. Add about 2 teaspoons filling (more if the puffs are larger), replace the tops, and put puffs on a decorative platter. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve immediately.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Saint Joseph’s Day Cream Puffs.pdf | 76.21 KB |
