Souffles De Crème (Cream Puffs)

Ingredients

Pastry Puffs

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup flour
• 4 eggs

Cream Filling

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2-3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 1 cup whipping cream
• powdered sugar (for sprinkling)

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 375°.

2. 2

   In a saucepan, bring water, butter, and salt to a rolling boil; remove from heat.

3. 3

   Whisk in flour and stir until dough comes together; add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition until batter is smooth.

4. 4

   Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet; use wet fork tines to fluff up each mound of dough.

5. 5

   Bake at 375° for 10 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue baking for another 15 minutes until pastry puffs are light golden-brown; turn off oven but do NOT open oven door; after several minutes remove puffs from oven and slice; return puffs to baking sheet then return sheet to oven; allow puffs to rest several minutes inside oven with oven door slightly ajar.

6. 6

   Stir together sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan; add milk, vanilla, and egg yolks; cook over low-medium heat, stirring, until thick; cool in refrigerator.

7. 7

   Whip cream until stiff and fold it gently into cooled filling mixture; spoon or pipe filling into pastry puffs; sprinkle powdered sugar over top.

8. 8

   NOTE: The unfilled puffs freeze well, may later be filled with your favorite chicken or ham salads, and can be made small-sized for appetizers ~ I've often enjoyed them this way at wedding showers :) .