Happy Memorial Day!  We spent a wonderful weekend out on boats and at the beach.  The weather could not have been more perfect, and I am now convinced that every tourist who is currently in Charleston wants to move here, so I should probably get my real estate license as opposed to my continuous attempts at baking.  However, baking is clearly more fun.  We are grilling out tonight, and I am going to make cream puffs for dessert.  I am pretty excited about it.  I know that most people just cut the puffs open and fill with pudding or custard that way, but I am going to try to fill them without cutting them in half- it will probably be a huge mess but should be fun.  Because I love vanilla custard, that is with what they will be filled.  I might make chocolate custard as well, but we will see how it goes.

Cream Puffs

Ingredients:

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
Bring the water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the butter.  When the butter has melted, add the flour mixture all at once and stir vigorously.  Cook and stir until the mixture forms a ball that doesn’t separate.
Remove from the heat and cool slightly (about 1 minute).  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each one until the dough is smooth.
Drop heaping tablespoons of dough about 2-inches apart onto a greased baking sheet.  Or transfer the batter to a pastry bag with a round tip and pipe circles about 2-inches in diameter and about 1-inch apart onto greased baking sheets.  Bake the puffs for about 30 minutes until they are golden brown and puffy.  If the puffs are medium-size, bake for about 22 — 25 minutes, and if the puffs are mini-size, bake for about 17 — 20 minutes.  Remove the cream puffs from the oven and cool on a cooling rack.

Vanilla Custard Filling

Ingredients:

2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks or 2 whole eggs
2 cups milk
1 vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:

On a piece of plastic wrap, or in a small bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt. In a saucepan, combine and whisk together the egg yolks and milk, or whole eggs if you are using them.

Gather the corners of the plastic wrap, or the bowl and pick up the starch mixture, pour it on top of the eggs and milk and whisk well to be sure that all of the cornstarch and flour are dissolved. Add the vanilla bean. (if using the extract, add it at the end of the recipe.

Set the pan over moderate heat and cook the custard for about 12 minutes, until thickened and brought to a boil. To do this, stir on and off for the first 5 minutes, then stir constantly for 7 minutes longer until the cream really thickens and reaches a boil.

Remove pan from the heat. The cream is done when smooth and thick enough to leave a clearly defined line when you draw your finger through the cream coating the back of the spoon.

Remove the vanilla bean, rinse it, and set it aside to reuse. If you are using extract instead of the bean, add it now. Add the butter and whisk until melted and blended in.

Pour the cream through a sieve into a bowl. Stir in any additional flavoring if using it. To prevent a film from forming on top of the cream, press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface. Cool cover and refrigerate until ready to use.