Cream Puffs a.k.a Profiteroles

The first time, when I had profiteroles, I couldn't stop at one. A friend had got me a pack of 12 from the local super market here, where, they make it fresh and sell. I had 8 out of 12  at that very moment. They just melt in the mouth, super light and super super yummy. The ones I had were not coated with chocolate glaze but with icing sugar dusted over them.

For filling, I chose whipped cream but people like ice cream (mainly in USA), custard or pastry creams (chocolate, vanilla, etc). Next time, I would fill it with Mascarpone n cream. 

Here, in Netherlands, we have a large profiterole from a city called Den Bosch. Its somewhat larger than tennis ball filled with whipped cream and coated entirely or almost entirely with dark chocolate.

For cream puffs, we make Choux pastry (pronounced as Shu), which is a light pastry dough. It is the only dough which cooked and baked. It contains only water, flour, butter and eggs. But i added little sugar and salt. No rising agent is added separately; the eggs do the job. The same dough is used to make eclairs as well. 

Ingredients:

For Choux Pastry

125gms - Water 

 55 gms -Butter (I used unsalted) 

 70 gms - Flour

          2 - eggs

 a pinch  - Salt (eliminate this if you are using salted butter)

 a pinch -  Sugar

Whipped Cream:

 200ml - whipping cream

  1tbsp - Powdered Sugar 

 a drop - Vanilla essence.

Method:

1. Preheat Oven at 200 C.

2. In a pan, add water, sugar, salt, butter (cut in cubes). Bring it on medium heat and let the butter melt. Turn off the heat as soon as the butter melts. 

3. Add the flour and quickly stir it vigorously with a wooden spatula till it forms a mass.

4. Add one egg at a time and mix it hard again. till it forms a consistency that it falls a dollop. I don't have the falling picture but consistency can be seen in the picture below.

5. Fill the pastry bag with pastry and  pipe it  around 1" round on the baking pan with silpat or parchment paper,. If it make a peak and push the peak down lightly with wet finger.

6. Bake the pastry for about 20-25 Minutes or till it turns golden brown. 

7. Remove from the oven and let them cook on the wire stand.

8. While the choux pastries puffs are cooling down. Whip the cream, icing sugar and vanilla essence on slow speed till it forms medium stiff peaks.

9. Fill the pastry bag with whipped cream or any filling you are using and pipe it inside the hollow choux by making small insertion at the bottom.

10. Now, either dust the icing sugar on the filled choux puffs or can glaze it. I glazed this batch with melted chocolate and butter glaze.

Frambozen Cream! a.k.a Raspberries cream

Raspberries are called Frambozen in Dutch.

I saw the pack of raspberries puree at Albert Heijn in the chill section. the puree is made of fresh raspberries with no sugar and preservatives added. There was a buy one get one free promotion on it. So I just grabbed it. But then thought, what would i do with 2? but i bought them anyway!

I had initially picked one up to add in Cream Cheese Frosting for the cupcakes.

A friend after having cup cake, asked for just more of frosting in a bowl if i had in left over. And she just loved it. So i thought this could be the a dessert in itself.

I thought that it would be quite fattening as well. Then i thought to use hung curd instead of cream cheese.

I hung curd for 2 hours in Muslin cloth to get the waterless creamy texture while whipping it!

So here is how i made it.

Ingredients:

1 packet Frombozen puree (You may puree at home also).

Hung Curd ( I used 250Gm Greek curd tub, strained the water using muslin cloth and twisted the clothe to take out as much water i could and hung it over the sink for 2 hours)

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp cream

fresh raspberries. (chop half of them)



Method:

1. In a deep pan, Boil the raspberries puree and dissolve the sugar it in. Let it cool.
2. Whip the hung curd and cream together.
3. add the puree mixture into this bowl and mix it well.
4. add the chopped raspberries and mix.
5. chill it for at least an hour.

Garnish with remaining raspberries before serving!

Tiramisu!!!

Aah.. Tiramisu.......... My Most Favorite dessert..!!

It is easy ....the difficult part is waiting ....when it is getting set in refrigerator....

What all u need??

1cup of espresso coffee...if u don;t have its all right.. Just mix coffee in hot water n let it cool.

45 ml of Rum/brandy (optional)

Lady Fingers .... Don’t u worry if u don't get it ... u can use sponge cake instead! :)

4 Eggs
2 table spoons Sugar
250 Gms of Mascarpone cheese!!!

2-3 drops Vanilla essence
1 table spoon of cocoa powdered ... (without sugar one!)

Method:
1. Put coffee in a flat deep dish add rum/brandy.

2. Seperate the Egg yolks and Egg whites in different bowls.

3. Whip egg yolks and sugar .. till it turns creamy n off white....

4. Add the mascarpone cheese ...in above mixture and blend it together.

5.Add a pinch of sugar in Egg whites and beat them upto the consistency that if you reverse the bowl, the beaten egg whites shouldn't drop.

6. Now gently fold the egg whites into the above mascarpone and egg yolk mixture (don't beat) till both are combined well.

7. Dip lady fingers in Coffee and place it in Dish.

8. Spread half the eggs and mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers.

9. Repeat the lay of lady finger followed by the rest of the half mixture.

10. Sprinkle cocoa powder using tea strainer....

11. Cover the dish with foil or plastic wrap n refrigerate for at least 4-5 hours.

12. Digg In!!!!