Servings: 16 Strawberry Cream Puffs
Equipment
Ingredients
Choux Pastry:
- ¼ cup water ~60 ml
- ¼ cup milk ~60 ml
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter ~45 g
- 2½ oz all-purpose flour ~70 g
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1¼ tsp sugar
- 2 large eggs ~95g after cracking
Streusel Topping:
- 2 oz unsalted butter 4 tbsp or 61g
- 2 oz all-purpose flour 1/2 cup or 61g
- 2 oz light brown sugar 1/4 cup or 61g
- Food dye optional
Strawberry Diplomat Cream:
- 1 cup milk ~240g
- 12 oz strawberries ~340 g, or 1 cup strawberry puree
- 4 egg yolks medium or large (about 60-70 g)
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch ~40 g
- 7 tablespoons sugar ~87 g
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice (~20 ml, optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter ~28 g
- 4 tsp gelatin ~12g
- 4 tbsp water 60g
- 2 cups heavy cream ~480 ml
Instructions
Streusel:
- Soften Butter: Cut the butter into cubes and let it soften at room temperature for about an hour.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine sugar and flour.2 oz light brown sugar, 2 oz all-purpose flour
- Add Butter: Incorporate the softened butter using a fork or mixer until evenly mixed.2 oz unsalted butter
- Add Food Dye: If using, add the food dye and stir it until well incorporated.Food dye
- Roll Out Dough: Between parchment papers, roll dough to a thickness of 2-3mm. Peel and replace paper as needed for easier rolling.
- Refrigerate: Refrigerate the rolled dough (still between sheets) for about 30 minutes, ideally on a cutting board that will retain temperature for longer.
- Cut Shapes: Cut the dough into 1.5 to 2-inch disks quickly before it softens, remove the excess, and return the disks to the fridge.
Strawberry Pastry Cream:
- Bloom Gelatin: In a small bowl, whisk gelatin with water and let it sit until needed.4 tsp gelatin, 4 tbsp water
- Strawberry Prep: Thaw or gently cook frozen strawberries; drain canned ones well; wash and de-stem fresh strawberries.12 oz strawberries
- Puree: Blend strawberries into a puree and strain for smoothness.
- Mix Ingredients: In a saucepan, combine all but 1/4 cup of milk with the strawberry puree, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and sugar. Whisk well.4 egg yolks, 7 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup milk
- Heat Mixture: Cook over medium heat until nearly boiling, stirring frequently to prevent the yolks from curdling.
- Cornstarch Slurry: Mix the reserved milk with cornstarch until smooth.4 tablespoons cornstarch
- Combine Slurry: Add the slurry to the heated mixture as soon as bubbles appear, stirring quickly.
- Thicken Cream: Return to heat and stir continuously until the mixture thickens and bubbles, about 2-4 minutes.
- Finish Cooking: Remove from heat, whisk vigorously for a minute to smooth out the texture.
- Add Butter: Incorporate butter into the cream until melted and smooth.2 tbsp unsalted butter
- Season to Taste: Adjust sweetness and flavor with additional sugar or vanilla; add lemon juice if using.4 teaspoons lemon juice
- Add Gelatin: Add bloomed gelatin and whisk until dissolved.
- Strain (Optional): Strain to remove any lumps or cooked egg bits.
- Cover: Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until it cools to about 100°F (or 40°C).
Choux Pastry:
- Preheat Oven: Heat oven to 390°F (200°C).
- Boil Butter Mixture: In a pot, mix butter, milk, water, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil, ensuring the butter melts completely.¼ cup water, ¼ cup milk, 3 tbsp unsalted butter, ¼ tsp salt, 1¼ tsp sugar
- Add Flour: Off the heat, add the flour and stir. Return to low heat, stirring continuously for 2-3 minutes until the dough is thick, glossy, and leaves a thin film on the pot bottom.2½ oz all-purpose flour
- Cool Dough: Transfer dough to a bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes, spreading it out to cool faster.
- Whisk Eggs: Beat eggs in a separate bowl.2 large eggs
- Mix Dough: With the dough slightly cooled, mix with a hand mixer. Gradually add half the eggs, mix, then add the remaining eggs bit by bit until the dough forms a 'V' shape when lifted with a whisk or spatula.
Bake:
- Prepare Tray: Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Pipe Dough: Fill a piping bag and pipe dough onto the tray in 2-inch mounds, leaving 1¼ inches space between each.
- Add Streusel: Place refrigerated streusel discs on each dough mound.
- Bake: Place the baking tray in the oven, immediately reduce temperature to 356°F (180°C), and bake for 40 minutes until slightly browned. Open the oven door slightly for the last 5 minutes of baking.
Strawberry Creme Diplomat
- Whip Cream: Whip cream until stiff.2 cups heavy cream
- Combine with Pastry Cream: Fold whipped cream into cooled and whisked strawberry pastry cream in stages to keep it light.
Assembly
- Fill Puffs: Pipe strawberry diplomat cream into cooled puffs.
- Chill: Refrigerate filled puffs and the leftover strawberry diplomat cream for at least an hour to set.
- Decorate and Serve: Decorate each puff with the leftover (now stiff) diplomat cream and a strawberry on top before serving.
Notes
Reduce the Strawberry Diplomat Cream ingredients by a quarter if you don't want to decorate the puffs with the cream.
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