Monday, August 15, 2011

Choux - SRC August

I love Pate a Choux.  It is easy to make, extremely versatile and a lot of fun to watch come together.  It is also something that I have been wanting to make with the kids, so I was thrilled when I came across it while checking out the Cooking Rookie and her blog Cook Book of Trial and Error, for this month's Secret Recipe Club Challenge.   This is a great blog to check out there are lots of recipes from past Daring Baker's challenges - the profiterols were from the May 2010 challenge - plus a wonderful assortment of delicious looking sweet and savory dishes.


If you haven't made Choux, you definitely need to give it a try.  It is the base for eclairs, cream puffs or profiterols, but it is equally tasty when used with savory fillings.  There are only a few ingredients and it is beautiful to watch these basic items come together to form a puffy golden container.  Because there are only a few ingredients it is a great recipe for kids and beginning cooks.  You can make it using a stand mixer, but it is great to do by hand.  Your really get to see the ingredients come together, plus your arms get a good workout.


I gave my two oldest the task of making these one afternoon, while their sister was sleeping - the help of a 2 year old would have been a bit much for this project.  While they had the challenge of making our dessert for the evening I challenged myself to take a step back and let them work.   I have been trying to do this more when it is just the two of them cooking.  Putting them in charge is not only a good way for them to build their confidence in the kitchen, but it is also a great way for them to learn how to work things out. It is very hard for me to take a step back.  I want  to correct every mistake and make sure they are doing everything my way,  but I am always amazed at what they accomplish when they are given the opportunity to work with my limited input.

Today I was especially amazed at how they worked things out.  Will took on the role of reading the recipe out loud while Maggie hunted for the ingredients, since there are only 5 ingredients she was able to easily find everything.  They took turns measuring out ingredients, then I joined back in when it was time to head to the stove.  At the stove they had fun watching the butter melt and catching steam.  When the flour was added a little help was needed to make sure it didn't burn.  When we moved back to the table they engaged in some impressive negotiations and figured out who would add the eggs and who would stir.  Again, a little help was needed with the stirring, but they each gave it a good try.  The piping was little frustrating, but another good thing about Choux is that it really doesn't matter what they look like going in the oven, they still bake beautifully and puff up into amazing shapes.



For dessert we served the puffs with some vanilla ice cream and a quick chocolate sauce.  It was a yummy dessert and the kids were very proud of their work.  We even had enough puffs leftover to have a puff lunch the following day - puffs filled with tuna salad then another round of puffs filled with ice cream.


Pate a Choux
(Printer Ready)

¾ c. Water
6 Tbs. Butter
¼ tsp. Salt
1 Tbs. Sugar
1 c. All-purpose Flour
4 Eggs

Directions
Preheat oven 425.  Line baking sheet with parchment.
In saucepan combine water and butter and sugar.  Over medium heat bring to boil, stirring occassionally.  Once boiling remove from heat and add flour, stir until combined.  Return to heat, stirring continuously, cook until mixture appears dry and pull from pan.
Transfer to bowl and allow to cool slightly.  Add eggs one at a time, stirring until egg is fully incorporated after each addition.  Mixture will look like mashed potatoes and will be very sticky.  
Transfer mixture to pastry bag, fitted with a large round tip.  Pipe into desired shape, keeping them about 1 inch apart.   Place in 425f oven, until puffed and light golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.  Lower oven temperature to 350f and continue baking until deep golden brow and dry, about 15-20 minutes.  Remove from oven and place on rack to cool.


As always be sure to check out the rest of the SRC challenges, lots of great dishes to try.  The group has grown and there will be three reveals throughout the month, so go to the Secret Recipe Clubs new site and see all of the challenges.

19 comments:

  1. I love making choux - and the results are nearly always impressive. I'm equally impressed with your kids' mad kitchen skillz, and your self-restraint!

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  2. Great looking choux! It IS a perfect dish to make with the kids, with all the mixing and pouring :-) and then the yummy final result!

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  3. Kudos to you for making this, my attempts never turned out as well.

    If you haven't already, I'd love for you to check out my SRC recipe this month: Cilantro Lime Chicken

    Lisa~~
    Cook Lisa Cook

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  4. Love making choux paste, such a perfect vessel for everything sweet and savory. Yours look wonderful with the ice cream and chocolate syrup! I've now got the urge to make gougeres!

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  5. Great looking chouxs. I was assigned Cooking Rookie in the first month of SRC, I agree.. it's a great blog :)

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  6. Congratulations on a fantastic choice for SRC and the amazing job you did on the pate choux. These are hard to make and yours look wonderful! Can't wait to dive into this blog and check everything out. Happy Chocolate Monday!

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  7. It was a pleasure having your blog as my SRC for August. What a beautiful and fun site - you made it easy to find amazing recipes. It was a tough choice, but I definitely found a winner! Nice to meet you!

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  8. These look delicious. I'm impressed that you were able to step back while your kids handled these. I try, I really do try, but it is hard sometimes. They did a great job!

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  9. That's a lot easier than I always thought it would be. Thanks so much.

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  10. I've never thought of a savory use for these puffs. I love choux based desserts, but have never tried it myself. I'd love to try this version!

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  11. Love the recipes that gets kids into the kitchen and cooking! I also love that the puffs can be used for lunch with a savory filling or for desserts with a sweet. Great recipe!

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  12. Yum, what a great dessert...you really took on a challenge this month and it looks like it turned out really delicious!! :)

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  13. Cute lil helpers there. That is a yummy recipe.

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  14. I agree, choux is a little bit of magic. So versatile, fill them with chicken salad, yummy.

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  15. OMG yum! I haven't made an eclair in years and was recently looking at one in my oldest cookbook. I may have to give it a try!

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  16. I love the idea to make different funny shaped ones. Very good recipe for SRC!

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  17. Your pastry came out wonderful! I love cooking with kids... thanks for the smile it gave me.

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  18. this pastry is always bound to be a hit with anyone...I know when I make this they go FAST! Great choice!

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  19. Chefs of the future - and super cute at that!

    I just love choux pastry, so I'm totally sold.

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