Cream Puffs I

Puff pastry with a custard cream filling. Garnish with melted chocolate or a dusting of confectioners' sugar.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 60 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins
• Calories: 255 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ cup shortening
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups milk
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 egg yolks, beaten

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Step 2

For the custard: In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 5 tablespoons flour and a pinch of salt. Stir in milk, a little at a time, until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 60 seconds, then pour a small amount of hot liquid into the 2 egg yolks, and stir. Then return now heated egg yolks to saucepan and stir, over heat, until mixture starts to bubble again. Remove from heat, add vanilla. Cover and chill in refrigerator.

Step 3

For the pastry: In a medium saucepan, combine shortening and water and bring to a boil. Sift together 1 cup flour and a pinch of salt and pour all at once into boiling mixture. Stir vigorously until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat, and add eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition. Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheet, or pipe into desired shape.

Step 4

Bake 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce heat to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and bake 25 minutes more, or until golden. Cool completely, split, fill with custard, and replace tops.