Almond crusted choux cream: Delicious and simple sweet!

I didn't bake choux pastry for a long time ^^, well there are many things that I want to do, so sometimes I really want one day to have more than 24 hours.

So while I browsed through the cookbook (before going to bed, haha), I thought about it. Baking choux cream is not hard but it really need attention, this time I made some mistake too ^^", the temperature of the oven was not as hot as I wanted. The hot oven is importance to make the pastry puff up, but after that the lower temperature is needed to keep the choux pastry to stay puff and firm before taking it out of the oven. The mistake that many people make is taking the choux pastry out of the oven before it become firm, so it will flat and you won't have the hole in the pastry anymore. Don't believe in the color of the choux ^^, the fully cooked choux pastry will be firm and light, you may have to touch it before taking it out of the oven.

Almond crusted choux cream

Makes 9 (7cm)

90g ........................... Water
40g ........................... Unsalted butter
................................... A pinch of salt
50g .......................... Cake flour
2 .............................. Eggs (You will use more or less)
30g .......................... Almond (diced)
.................................. Granulated sugar (for sprinkle on top of the choux)
Custard cream
300g ........................ Whole milk
5cm .......................... Vanilla bean (scrap the seeds from the bean)
3 ............................... Egg yolks
10g ........................... Corn starch
60g ........................... Granulated sugar
20g ........................... Cake flour
20g ........................... Unsalted butter
................................... A pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 250°C

Sift the flour and set aside.

Line the sheet pan with baking paper. 

   Bring water, butter and salt to a boil. Remove from heat, add flour all at once, blend well, stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until mixture no longer sticks to pan and forms into a ball. Reduce heat to low and return pan to stove, beating for 2-3 minute Remove from heat. 

Whisk in eggs one at a time (a little at a time, you might not need all of them).

 When the batter is smooth and glossy, test with your finger, you will be able to stretch it.

 Fill a large pastry bag fitted with a 1 cm plain tip nozzle with the dough.

Pipe the dough, into 4 cm rounds onto the baking sheets.

Leave about 2 inches (5 cm) space in between each dough strip to allow them room to puff.

Sprinkle the top of the choux dough with almond and sugar.
Lower the heat to  the oven to 200°C. Put the choux pastry  into the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until they start to brown.

Lower the heat to  the oven to 180°C. and bake for 10-15 minutes more or until they are puffed, golden and firm.

*I have my oven door maintained open with a wooden spoon for the last 5 minutes).

Make the custard cream:

Scrap the seeds from the Vanilla bean. In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. In the meantime, combine the yolks, sugar, vanilla seeds, salt, cake flour and cornstarch together.

Once the milk has reached a boil, temper the yolks by whisking a couple spoonfuls of the hot milk into the yolk mixture. Continue whisking and slowly pour the rest of the milk into the tempered yolk mixture.

Strain the mixture back into the saucepan to remove any egg that may have scrambled. Place the pan over medium heat and whisk vigorously (without stop) until the mixture returns to a boil. Keep whisking vigorously for 1 to 2 more minutes (still over medium heat).

Scrape the pastry cream into a small bowl and set it in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. Whisk the butter into the pastry cream, cover with plastic warp (place directly onto the top of the pastry cream). Let it cool completely.

Pipe the filling into the pastry.

Almond crusted choux cream: Delicious and simple sweet!