Pasta choux
Preparation Time: 30 min
Difficulty: Average
Cooking Time: 35 min
Choux pastry is a basic preparation of French origin, neutral in flavor, widely used in pastry and some savory recipes. A dough that requires double cooking but is also easy to prepare at home following doses and procedures with a little attention.
Ingredients for 18 puffs:
60 g of water
30 g of butter
35 g of flour 00
1 medium egg
1 pinch of salt
Choux pastry - also known as cream puff pastry - is a neutral paste used as a base for many preparations in pastry and cooking.
It is a simple dough to make, decidedly inexpensive, based on water, butter and flour that is cooked in a casserole. The eggs are added to this cooked compound and then it is modeled on the basis of need, proceeding with cooking in the oven.
Baked in the oven, the choux pastry swells into hollow: ready and perfect to be filled with whipped cream, cream, chocolate and sweet or savory mousse.
With choux pastry you can prepare delicious desserts such as cream puffs, baked Zeppole di San Giuseppe or the legendary Paris Brest cake. Without forgetting many tasty savory cupcakes, for appetizers or aperitifs.
Preparation
Phase 1
To prepare the choux pastry, bring the water to a boil with the butter and salt poured into a saucepan. Off the heat, add the sifted flour all at once, mix with a whisk, then put it back on the stove and let the mixture dry, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
Phase 2
When a light white veil appears on the bottom of the casserole and you hear the pasta sizzle (it must also be detached from the walls), cooking will be completed. Let it cool down. Then add the beaten egg and work with the whisk until you get a homogeneous and dense mixture.
Phase 3
Transfer the dough to a pastry bag equipped with a smooth nozzle no. 10 and form the cream puffs directly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, creating round and equal sized hazelnuts, well spaced so that they do not stick together during cooking. With these doses you will get a variable number of puffs depending on the size you want: 12 puffs (larger in shape) or 18 (if you opt for a smaller size). To obtain well-rounded cream puffs, the trick is to crush with the tip of a finger (moistened with water) the tuft of dough that remains on top of each dome of dough when it comes down from the pocket. Bake in a preheated convection oven at 180 ° for about 25-30 minutes, until lightly colored. Turn off the oven, open the door slightly and let the cream puffs dry for another 10 minutes. Let it cool completely before stuffing your puffs.