Tuesday, June 17, 2008

TWD: Chocolate and Peppermint Cream Puffs and Éclairs


This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Caroline of A Consuming Passion: the Peppermint Cream Puff Ring. It is inspired by the Paris-Brest, shaped like a wheel to commemorate the Paris-to-Brest bicycle race. The pastry is a classic pâte à choux, but instead of buttercream, Dorie fills it with light, tangy and refreshing peppermint cream. In place of a light dusting with confectioner's sugar, Dorie tops this dessert with a beautiful chocolate glaze. Knowing that I would be bringing these in to work, I opted to make mini éclairs and cream puffs instead of the large cream puff ring. I doubled the recipe and was able to make 48 éclairs and 9 cream puffs (I also sent a batch to the hospital with my husband). I had to adjust the baking times a bit (noted below), since they are much smaller.


Growing up, my mom was always baking things for church potlucks. One of the things that was repeatedly requested from her was her cream puffs. I honestly never paid attention to how she made them, but I was always involved in helping her with the assembly process - cutting them open and stuffing them with delicious pastry cream. I've always been intimidated by them - partly because they look so fancy, and partly because it's always hard to live up to something that Mom makes; so I honestly never saw myself even attempting these. That's one of the things that I love about being a part of TWD and the Daring Bakers - they challenge me to make things I would otherwise never make. It's also really nice baking the same recipe with hundreds of other bakers, because you can pick up on helpful tips along the way to ensure your recipe is successful.


For this recipe, I learned from the group that you should let the hot dough cool down a little bit before adding the eggs. So I let my KitchenAid mix the dough for about 1 minute before adding the eggs. Some had their pastry collapse after baking, while others found the center to be soft and eggy. Both problems, I learned, are from under baking. Knowing this, I made sure to let my pastry get nice and golden before removing it from the oven. Some suggested letting them dry out by leaving them in the oven after it is turned off. Since I was making multiple batches, this was not possible for me, but I found this step unnecessary as long as I let them bake until they were thoroughly browned before removing them from the oven. Instead of lining a baking sheet with parchment paper, I simply used a baking stone (and had no problems with sticking).


One of the reasons why I love baking more than cooking is the precision involved with it. I'm not good with subjective measurements like "to taste." So when Dorie instructs you to "whisk the remaining egg in a small bowl and very gradually add enough of the beaten egg to form a dough that is thick, shiny and silky," I was afraid. Very afraid. How would I possibly know when it was "shiny and silky" enough? As I added the egg, I could definitely see it becoming more shiny, but how would I know when it was shiny enough? I hesitantly added more and more egg, watching the dough become shinier and shinier. What would happen if I added too much egg, I wondered? I honestly don't understand enough of the principles behind baking to tell you what would happen if you add too much egg... all I know is that whatever I did, it seemed to work. So, for those who have never made a pâte à choux dough before, I give you a picture of my "thick, shiny and silky" dough:


I had planned on making half with the peppermint cream and the other half with chocolate pastry cream. While the peppermint cream was delicious, it was a little runny and not thick enough to pipe. The only thing I can think of that might have led to this problem was not chilling the cream long enough before whipping it up. It seemed plenty cold after two hours, so I did not wait the full 3 hours as Dorie suggested. I guess I was a little too impatient in this case! So in the end, I only made a handful with the peppermint cream and filled the rest with chocolate pastry cream. While the peppermint cream-filled éclairs were pretty good, I definitely prefer the chocolate pastry cream-filled ones.


Thanks again to Caroline for choosing this week's recipe. After further discussion about the topic, it has been decided that we will continue posting the recipes, but only on the blog of the person who chose the recipe. So if you would like this week's recipe, you can find it here. What I've included below are instructions on how I made my cream puffs and éclairs. Make sure you visit the TWD Blog Roll to see everyone else's lovely cream puffs this week.

*Quick Note: My laptop decided to die on me Monday night so I had to post without the benefit of Adobe Lightroom (if you've never heard of this program, you must download the free 30-day trial!) I know my photos are a bit too dark and leave a lot to be desired right now, but I wanted to post something rather than nothing. I plan to update my post with the edited pictures as soon as I get my computer up and running again.

*Update: The new photos have been updated!


For recipe tips click here.

Chocolate and Peppermint Cream Puffs and Éclairs
Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan
Full recipe on A Consuming Passion

Pastry Dough (I ended up using about 3 1/2 eggs in mine)
Mint Cream Filling
Chocolate Pastry Cream Filling (recipe below)
Chocolate Glaze (I needed a double recipe for the éclairs and cream puffs)
White Chocolate Chips, optional

Fit a large pastry bag with a 1/2-inch-diameter plain piping tip. If you do not have this size tip, you can use a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch hole. If you do not have a pastry bag, you can simply use a ziploc bag and cut the corner of the bag for piping.

For cream puffs, simply pipe out a spiral shape (similar to a soft serve ice cream cone) until you end with the pointed tip.


For mini éclairs, pipe out a strip of dough approximately 2-3 inches long, then pipe a second strip next to it.

Bake at 425F for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperate to 375F. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until puffed, brown and firm.

To Assemble:
Using kitchen scissors, gently cut around the base of each cream puff or éclair, yielding two separate pieces. You can pull out and discard any soft dough from the inside if needed.

Spoon the mint cream into a clean pastry bag and pipe large rosettes into each cream puff or éclair (if using chocolate pastry cream, you can simply spoon the cream directly into each puff or éclair). If making cream puffs, carefully set the top of each cream puff on to the base-don't press down too hard, you want the top to just rest lightly. Then dust with confectioner's sugar. If making the éclairs, refrigerate the base while you make the glaze.

Once the glaze has been prepared, use a small icing spatula (I simply used a butter knife) to spread the glaze over the top half of the pastry. Carefully set the top over the base - again, don't press down too hard, just allow the top to rest lightly over the base.

Drizzle with melted white chocolate (you can add a small amount of shortening with the chocolate to thin it out) and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.


Yield: 24 Éclairs, 4 Cream Puffs

Chocolate Pastry Cream
from Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan

2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
6 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted
Pinch of salt
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted (I used semisweet)
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits at room temperature

Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.

Meanwhile, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the egg yolks together with the sugar, cornstarch and salt until thick and well blended. Still whisking, drizzle in about 1/4 cup of the hot milk-- this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the milk. Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly (making sure to get the edges of the pot), bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a boil, still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.

Whisk in the melted chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until they are full incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth and silky. Scrape the cream into a bowl. You can press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream to create an airtight seal and refrigerate the pastry cream until cold or, if you want to cool it quickly--as I always do--put the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water, and stir the pastry cream occasionally until it is thoroughly chilled, about 20 minutes.

Yield: About 2 1/2 cups

52 comments:

  1. Wow, Jaimie, those look sooo good! I bet the people at work love seeing you bring in baked goodies. They look fantastic!

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  2. I have been meaning to make this recipe, since eclairs are one of the very few sweets my husband likes. I think you did an amazing job, Jaime!

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  3. Wow - that's a lot of choux! And even without Adobe Lightroom, they look wonderful!

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  4. The photos don't look any different to me, certainly 100 times better than I could ever take! Fab photos and fantastic food, as ever :)

    Rebecca

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  5. I had to laugh about the egg thing. I freaked out about it too. And then it never looked shiny enough so I put the whole egg in there. Turned out well enough though.

    Your pictures are fabulous! The first picture looks like something from a bakery!

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  6. Such GORGEOUS cream puffs and éclairs!!

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  7. Those belong in the bakery somewhere in Bisohp! They have the best eclairs...these look *delicious*!!

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  8. I can imagine that chocolate pastry cream, it sounds delicious! And I love the stripy éclairs. :)

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  9. Wonderful! I love your éclairs. Great work!

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  10. I don't know what Lighroom is, but you don't need it! Gorgeous with the white striping...ooh i bet they are so good!

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  11. These look amazing! Damn I should run home and make these tonight;)

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  12. Your eclairs and cream puffs look delicious!

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  13. They look beautiful! I especially love the little cream puffs.

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  14. Um, YUM! the eclairs look really good.

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  15. OH-you went the extra mile! What gorgeous puffs and eclairs. That food is ART!

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  16. Great job! They look so delicious!

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  17. They came out so beautiful! I love the zebra looking ones, so perfect!

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  18. Terrific job! Love the cream puffs and eclairs and all your pictures!

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  19. Your puffs and eclairs look amazing! I love the white chocolate drizzled on top. They look just beautiful.

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  20. So, so, so pretty and delicious! Your co-workers are lucky!!

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  21. Gorgeous, scrumptious photos! Thanks for the tip on Adobe lightroom. I will have to try this out. Congratulations on your success

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  22. Mmmmm. Gorgeous! When's the next batch going to be ready? Just let me know and I'll be right over.

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  23. Everything looks amazing! Nice job.

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  24. oh yum! i'd go to town on that whole tray of eclairs!

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  25. Wow those look AMAZING! I love the chocolate and white chocolate glaze. Great job! :)

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  26. Those look like they are straight from a bakery...only better!

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  27. I'm with the others... with or without "Lightroom," your puffs are bakery-worthy. Great job!

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  28. i love peppermint and chocolate together--that pate a choux just gets in the way. :)

    these couldn't look any more perfect. nicely done.

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  29. Those look professional!! Nice job!

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  30. Gorgeous and fancy! Mom would be proud!!

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  31. Wow! those look freaking awesome! I can almost taste them

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  32. those look so professional! i definitely want to try this recipe.

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  33. Wow, your eclairs look delicious. I don't really like regular pastry cream, but the chocolate version might change my mind. =)

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  34. Oh, this is such a lovely post...the words, the photos, and definitely the food. I love how you swirled the white chocolate on the eclairs...how beautiful is that? You did a great job. Thanks so much for sharing your ideas and experiences.

    I'm bookmarking this blog from here on out! :-)

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  35. What gorgeous looking eclairs! I always love looking at all of your fun pics!

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  36. Just lovely! I love the nice shine to the glaze! You definitely have my mouth watering!

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  37. Your puffs and eclairs look absolutely perfect!! Job well done. Thanks for the tips on Adobe Lightroom- I'm going to check it out now.

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  38. Your eclairs look like something from a very high-class bakery -- and I bet they tasted amazing too. Great work!

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  39. Your pastries are beautiful and your photography amazing. I didn't notice any "dark" issues. Great work!

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  40. hi jaime...i just saw on your slideshow a tiramusi recipe...could you PLEASE send that to me?? thanks so much!

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  41. sorry...that wasn't very smart of me not to notice it - thanks for the recipe!

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  42. Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats for sure!
    These éclairs look amazing!

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  43. Very professional indeed, you've done your mother proud! Your cream puffs and éclairs look fabulous!

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  44. Mmmm, what delightful little treats you've got there! A gold star for you!

    I like how you went the extra step and drizzled the tops with white.

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  45. Your cream puffs are beautiful! Wow, did you do a fantastic job! After the water issue, and thank you for your kind words, I still haven't remade the recipe but I plan on doing so this week. Absolutely delicious looking! BTW, I am so with you about the adding egg until the dough is shiny and silky. I read that and wondered the same as you. I am glad I am not alone =D.

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  46. Peppermint in a cream puff - sounds awesome!

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  47. Beautiful blog! I'll have to try your carrot cake! :)

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  48. Good Job,
    I would like to taste the chocos one!!

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  49. Those looks amazing! I like the sound of that peppermint cream.

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