Meet Mom:
She's sweet and sassy and says things like, "Talk's cheap, it takes money to buy whiskey". But more about her in a minute.
Now meet Dad:
A.k.a. Big Al. He's a farmer and the sole inventor of the finger dance. Don't ask...
And here's the whole family together last Thanksgiving:
Back row: Dad and Neal (my little bro...if you can call 6'7" little...)
Front row: Mom, Staci (my sis-in-law) and Jordyn (my baby niece who is, in my humble opinion, the cutest little girl to ever live), Jason (my big bro) and Jayden (my nephew who I adore more than most anyone else in the world) and me on the end there
She's sweet and sassy and says things like, "Talk's cheap, it takes money to buy whiskey". But more about her in a minute.
Now meet Dad:
A.k.a. Big Al. He's a farmer and the sole inventor of the finger dance. Don't ask...And here's the whole family together last Thanksgiving:
Back row: Dad and Neal (my little bro...if you can call 6'7" little...)Front row: Mom, Staci (my sis-in-law) and Jordyn (my baby niece who is, in my humble opinion, the cutest little girl to ever live), Jason (my big bro) and Jayden (my nephew who I adore more than most anyone else in the world) and me on the end there
So why all the introductions? First of all my family is important to me. They're fun and crazy and none of them have ever met a stranger and I just think everyone should have the privilege of meeting them at least once. Secondly, this weekend was what we in the fam like to refer to as a national holiday. Sunday we celebrated my mom's 59th birthday! 59!!! That's one year away from 60!!! I'm sorry for exposing the number like that, mom, but you don't look a day over 50 so really it's something to be proud of.
Now my dad has a hard time with remembering birthdays. They just don't stick. He can remember the month we were born in but when it comes to the actual day he's completely clueless. Except, that is, when it comes to mom. You see, a long time ago dad developed a full-proof system that guaranteed he would never forget his beloved wife's special day. It's simple, really. He explains it like this:
"Your mother was born on October third. And she's a turd. And third rhymes with turd."
Brilliant. And it's never failed him. But this year I had a small problem regarding October the Turd (which is what mom's birthday is fondly referred to as in our house). I have no job and therefore no money with which to buy mom her standard-issue Dillard's gift card (because that's all mom ever wants for birthdays and holidays, no joke.) I could've gotten her one, yes, but that would just be like her buying herself a gift. And I'm not one for playing the middle man. Or pretending I did something that I didn't. So I turned to the kitchen for inspiration and gave mom the thing she's been asking for since last year: custard filled cream puffs.
They were amazing. So good. The perfect little dessert. And mom loved them. Actually dad might have loved them more since he kept insisting they were his and his alone. Not true, dad, not true. Anyhow they were a hit and it was a sad day indeed when they were all gone. Fortunately they're super easy to make. I know, I know. They look difficult. Daunting. But they are absolutely not. It's four simple steps, three if you don't wanna dip yours in caramel like mine, and the results are really spectacular. Let's get started.
You'll need the following:
Tools
3 medium to large sauce pans (preferably heavy-bottomed)
Wooden spoon
Whisk
Rubber spatula
Metal sieve
Sheet pan covered in plastic wrap
Hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment
Piping bag or large ziplock
Silicone baking mat
Ingredients
Pastry Cream
2 cups Whole Milk
4 oz Sugar
1.5 oz Egg Yolk
2 oz Eggs
1.25 oz Corn Starch
1 oz Butter
2 TB Vanilla Extract
Pate Choux (the French name for the dough, it translates to 'cabbage paste' because cream puffs look like little cabbages!)
10 oz Water
2 oz Butter
1 ts Sugar
1 ts Salt
6 oz Bread or All-Purpose Flour (bread flour is better because it develops more gluten which helps to hold the shape of the choux balls but All-Purpose is works okay, too, as it's name would suggest.)
3-5 Eggs
Clear Caramel
10 oz Sugar
3 oz Water
Step 1
First let's make our pastry cream. In a medium sauce pan combine your milk and half of the sugar. In a bowl, combine your egg yolks, eggs, cornstarch, and the other half of the sugar. Whisk together until pale and thick. Set your milk and sugar on a burner and bring to a boil over medium heat. Begin whisking the yolks and, at the same time, pour in about half of the hot milk to temper. Set the rest of the milk back on the burner and pour in the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Once the cream begins to boil whisk for another one to two minutes to cook out the starchy flavor and thicken it up. Remove from heat.
Set the butter in the bottom of a mixing bowl and set a metal sieve on top. Pour the pastry cream through the sieve to remove any bits of cooked egg, using a rubber spatula to push it all through. Dump in the vanilla extract and stir until fully incorporated and the butter is melted. Pour onto a sheet pan that's been covered in plastic wrap and put another layer of plastic wrap directly on top of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Toss her in the fridge and let her chill out for at least three hours (or overnight if you're making this ahead of time).
Step 2
Now for the pate choux. First preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Combine your water, butter, sugar, and salt in a sauce pan and set over medium-low heat just until butter is melted, making sure to not let it boil. Dump in flour all at once and stir vigorously with wooden spoon. The dough should start pulling away from the sides and forming a shiny ball. Stir for another minute until a carpet forms on the bottom of the pan. The dryer you get the dough, the more eggs you can add and the bigger puff you'll get when they bake. Transfer the ball of dough to a mixing bowl and beat with either paddle attachment or hand mixer for about three to five minutes to release all the steam. Now add in one egg at a time, beating well after each addition, until you have a smooth paste. You should be able to stretch the dough at least one inch between your pointer finger and thumb without it breaking. It might take only three eggs, it might take five. It all depends on how dry your dough gets.
If you're fancy, go ahead and fit a piping bag with a large round tip. If you're like me, just spoon the paste into a large ziplock and cut the tip off with your kitchen scissors. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and position your bag about a fourth of an inch above the paper. Now squeeze your piping bag until the round is about the the width of a silver dollar. Repeat until you run out of choux paste! If your choux balls have little tips on them, stick your finger in a glass of water, shake it off, and smooth them down. This way they'll be nice and round. Stick your sheet pan in the oven and after about fifteen to twenty minutes turn the temp down to 375. The burst of heat allows the choux balls to get maximum rise and turning the heat down allows them to finish drying out on the inside without burning. Bake until they turn a nice dark golden brown. Pull the sheet pan out and allow to cool for about half an hour.
Step 3
Time to assemble! First take your pastry cream out of the fridge. At this point it might resemble a sheet of rubber. That's good. It means you did it right! Dump it into a bowl and take a whisk to it to bring it back to life. Okay. Filling time. Now there are two ways we can do this. Option 1: We can take a serrated knife and cut off the top halves of the choux balls and just spoon the pastry cream in. Option 2: If you have a very small round piping tip (like ateco #2 or 3) you can poke a hole in the bottom of your choux balls using a paring knife or the pointy end of a chopstick and just pipe your cream in. If you plan on dipping your puffs in caramel option 2 is the only way to go. If not I say go with option 1 and lightly dust the tops with powdered sugar for a pretty presentation.
Step 4
Hokay. This step is not one for the faint of heart. It's a tad bit intimidating and just the slightest bit dangerous what with the whole dipping-things-in-boiling-hot-sugar aspect. But I have faith in you. Just in case maybe we should have a bowl of ice water sitting on the counter. Put your sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan and stir your finger around in it until it's all uniform and looks like wet sand. Dip a pastry brush in a glass of water and wipe down the sides of the pot to make sure there are no stray bits of sugar hanging out there, they can cause crystallization which ruins your caramel and makes for a sad chef. And nobody likes a sad chef. Now begin heating your sugar over medium-high heat. When it starts to bubble go ahead and give the sides one more brush-down, making sure the brush doesn't actually come in contact with the sugar (don't forget, we're battling the evil crystallization process). Let the sugar cook until it starts to change color. Give the pot a good swirl to distribute all that yummy caramel goodness and let it go for another few minutes until it's the color of honey. Remove from heat and let it sit for five minutes to cool down a little. Prop up one side with a dish towel so that the caramel pools on the bottom and carefully, I repeat CAREFULLY, dip the the cream puffs about a third to half of the way down. Shake off the excess caramel and place, caramel side down, on a silicone baking mat. If you own plastic gloves I highly recommend wearing a pair or two to really protect your fingers. And if you do get any of the hot sugar on your sweet little falanges, plunge them into the ice water immediately.
Let them cool until the sugar hardens and you're done! They're ready to enjoy. And enjoy them you will. So will anyone else who gets the chance to try one.
On a related note, today is my Aunt Linda's birthday (get it? related? hehehe)! And from the bottom of my heart I want to wish her a wonderful, spectacular, fabulous, unforgettable one. I love you so much and I wish I was there to celebrate with you. Seriously, between her and my mom I have all the love and support I could ever wish for. I'm not only a happy chef, but a lucky one as well.
Now if you'll kindly excuse me, the Young and the Restless is about to start. Yes, that's right. Judge if you must. Happy baking, and have a fabulous rest of the week!
XOXO,
Mindy
Now my dad has a hard time with remembering birthdays. They just don't stick. He can remember the month we were born in but when it comes to the actual day he's completely clueless. Except, that is, when it comes to mom. You see, a long time ago dad developed a full-proof system that guaranteed he would never forget his beloved wife's special day. It's simple, really. He explains it like this:
"Your mother was born on October third. And she's a turd. And third rhymes with turd."
Brilliant. And it's never failed him. But this year I had a small problem regarding October the Turd (which is what mom's birthday is fondly referred to as in our house). I have no job and therefore no money with which to buy mom her standard-issue Dillard's gift card (because that's all mom ever wants for birthdays and holidays, no joke.) I could've gotten her one, yes, but that would just be like her buying herself a gift. And I'm not one for playing the middle man. Or pretending I did something that I didn't. So I turned to the kitchen for inspiration and gave mom the thing she's been asking for since last year: custard filled cream puffs.
They were amazing. So good. The perfect little dessert. And mom loved them. Actually dad might have loved them more since he kept insisting they were his and his alone. Not true, dad, not true. Anyhow they were a hit and it was a sad day indeed when they were all gone. Fortunately they're super easy to make. I know, I know. They look difficult. Daunting. But they are absolutely not. It's four simple steps, three if you don't wanna dip yours in caramel like mine, and the results are really spectacular. Let's get started.
You'll need the following:
Tools
3 medium to large sauce pans (preferably heavy-bottomed)
Wooden spoon
Whisk
Rubber spatula
Metal sieve
Sheet pan covered in plastic wrap
Hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment
Piping bag or large ziplock
Silicone baking mat
Ingredients
Pastry Cream
2 cups Whole Milk
4 oz Sugar
1.5 oz Egg Yolk
2 oz Eggs
1.25 oz Corn Starch
1 oz Butter
2 TB Vanilla Extract
Pate Choux (the French name for the dough, it translates to 'cabbage paste' because cream puffs look like little cabbages!)
10 oz Water
2 oz Butter
1 ts Sugar
1 ts Salt
6 oz Bread or All-Purpose Flour (bread flour is better because it develops more gluten which helps to hold the shape of the choux balls but All-Purpose is works okay, too, as it's name would suggest.)
3-5 Eggs
Clear Caramel
10 oz Sugar
3 oz Water
Step 1
First let's make our pastry cream. In a medium sauce pan combine your milk and half of the sugar. In a bowl, combine your egg yolks, eggs, cornstarch, and the other half of the sugar. Whisk together until pale and thick. Set your milk and sugar on a burner and bring to a boil over medium heat. Begin whisking the yolks and, at the same time, pour in about half of the hot milk to temper. Set the rest of the milk back on the burner and pour in the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Once the cream begins to boil whisk for another one to two minutes to cook out the starchy flavor and thicken it up. Remove from heat.
Set the butter in the bottom of a mixing bowl and set a metal sieve on top. Pour the pastry cream through the sieve to remove any bits of cooked egg, using a rubber spatula to push it all through. Dump in the vanilla extract and stir until fully incorporated and the butter is melted. Pour onto a sheet pan that's been covered in plastic wrap and put another layer of plastic wrap directly on top of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Toss her in the fridge and let her chill out for at least three hours (or overnight if you're making this ahead of time).
Step 2
Now for the pate choux. First preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Combine your water, butter, sugar, and salt in a sauce pan and set over medium-low heat just until butter is melted, making sure to not let it boil. Dump in flour all at once and stir vigorously with wooden spoon. The dough should start pulling away from the sides and forming a shiny ball. Stir for another minute until a carpet forms on the bottom of the pan. The dryer you get the dough, the more eggs you can add and the bigger puff you'll get when they bake. Transfer the ball of dough to a mixing bowl and beat with either paddle attachment or hand mixer for about three to five minutes to release all the steam. Now add in one egg at a time, beating well after each addition, until you have a smooth paste. You should be able to stretch the dough at least one inch between your pointer finger and thumb without it breaking. It might take only three eggs, it might take five. It all depends on how dry your dough gets.
If you're fancy, go ahead and fit a piping bag with a large round tip. If you're like me, just spoon the paste into a large ziplock and cut the tip off with your kitchen scissors. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and position your bag about a fourth of an inch above the paper. Now squeeze your piping bag until the round is about the the width of a silver dollar. Repeat until you run out of choux paste! If your choux balls have little tips on them, stick your finger in a glass of water, shake it off, and smooth them down. This way they'll be nice and round. Stick your sheet pan in the oven and after about fifteen to twenty minutes turn the temp down to 375. The burst of heat allows the choux balls to get maximum rise and turning the heat down allows them to finish drying out on the inside without burning. Bake until they turn a nice dark golden brown. Pull the sheet pan out and allow to cool for about half an hour.
Step 3
Time to assemble! First take your pastry cream out of the fridge. At this point it might resemble a sheet of rubber. That's good. It means you did it right! Dump it into a bowl and take a whisk to it to bring it back to life. Okay. Filling time. Now there are two ways we can do this. Option 1: We can take a serrated knife and cut off the top halves of the choux balls and just spoon the pastry cream in. Option 2: If you have a very small round piping tip (like ateco #2 or 3) you can poke a hole in the bottom of your choux balls using a paring knife or the pointy end of a chopstick and just pipe your cream in. If you plan on dipping your puffs in caramel option 2 is the only way to go. If not I say go with option 1 and lightly dust the tops with powdered sugar for a pretty presentation.
Step 4
Hokay. This step is not one for the faint of heart. It's a tad bit intimidating and just the slightest bit dangerous what with the whole dipping-things-in-boiling-hot-sugar aspect. But I have faith in you. Just in case maybe we should have a bowl of ice water sitting on the counter. Put your sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan and stir your finger around in it until it's all uniform and looks like wet sand. Dip a pastry brush in a glass of water and wipe down the sides of the pot to make sure there are no stray bits of sugar hanging out there, they can cause crystallization which ruins your caramel and makes for a sad chef. And nobody likes a sad chef. Now begin heating your sugar over medium-high heat. When it starts to bubble go ahead and give the sides one more brush-down, making sure the brush doesn't actually come in contact with the sugar (don't forget, we're battling the evil crystallization process). Let the sugar cook until it starts to change color. Give the pot a good swirl to distribute all that yummy caramel goodness and let it go for another few minutes until it's the color of honey. Remove from heat and let it sit for five minutes to cool down a little. Prop up one side with a dish towel so that the caramel pools on the bottom and carefully, I repeat CAREFULLY, dip the the cream puffs about a third to half of the way down. Shake off the excess caramel and place, caramel side down, on a silicone baking mat. If you own plastic gloves I highly recommend wearing a pair or two to really protect your fingers. And if you do get any of the hot sugar on your sweet little falanges, plunge them into the ice water immediately.
Let them cool until the sugar hardens and you're done! They're ready to enjoy. And enjoy them you will. So will anyone else who gets the chance to try one.
On a related note, today is my Aunt Linda's birthday (get it? related? hehehe)! And from the bottom of my heart I want to wish her a wonderful, spectacular, fabulous, unforgettable one. I love you so much and I wish I was there to celebrate with you. Seriously, between her and my mom I have all the love and support I could ever wish for. I'm not only a happy chef, but a lucky one as well.
Now if you'll kindly excuse me, the Young and the Restless is about to start. Yes, that's right. Judge if you must. Happy baking, and have a fabulous rest of the week!
XOXO,
Mindy
