Cream Puffs

Choux pastry is very versatile and so simple to make in the Tefal Cuisine Companion. This recipe uses 2 eggs and makes 12 to 16 small cream puffs. You can double the recipe, adjusting the mixing times as required if you want to make more puffs or to make eclairs. I've filled my cream puffs with Creme Diplomat and blackberry jam and topped with melted chocolate. Before baking I lightly sprayed water over the choux pastry to stop the pastry drying out too quickly in the oven and this helped the choux pastry to puff up more and the centres to cook.

Note: Add beaten eggs 1/4 at a time until mixture is smooth, thick and glossy. You may not need all
of the egg.

60 gms Plain Flour
15 gms Cornflour
60 gms Unsalted Butter diced
5 gms Caster Sugar
2 gms Salt
110 gms Water
2 Eggs lightly beaten with fork

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Sift flour and cornflour together and set aside.
Insert Kneading Blade. Stopper out.
Add butter, sugar, salt and water.
Sp3:90deg:4mins or until mixture boils.
Add sifted flours.
Sp6:1min.
Remove lid and let rest 5 mins.
Replace lid.
Sp6:30sec.
Start Sp:7 adding 1/4 of the beaten eggs through hole in lid, mix 15 sec before adding the next 1/4 of beaten egg, mix another 15 sec before adding another 1/4 of beaten egg and mix a further 15 sec. Check if pastry is smooth, thick and glossy. If not, add the remainder of the beaten eggs and mix 15 sec.
Pipe rounds onto prepared baking sheet, lightly spray with water and bake 20 minutes or until a dark golden brown. DO NOT OPEN OVEN DOOR whilst puffs are baking.

Pierce cooked puffs with a skewer to release steam and place on cooling rack to cool.
Fill and decorate as desired.
If using Creme Diplomat, slice puffs in half,  pipe creme diplomat onto bottom layer and refrigerate until firm before placing tops of puffs over the filling.

Creme Diplomat 

245 gm Thickened Cream
270 gms Milk
1 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract
80 gms Caster Sugar
40 gms Cornflour Sifted
4 Egg Yolks
200 gms Thickened Cream extra
Insert Whisk. Stopper in.
Add 245gms thickened cream, milk, vanilla extract, caster sugar and cornflour.
Sp8:1min 30sec.
Add egg yolks.
Sp8:30sec.
Set Dessert: 6-7mins or until custard has thickened. Stopper out.
Place custard in heatproof bowl, cover with cling wrap pushing cling wrap onto surface to prevent skin forming and place in refrigerator to chill.
Whip extra Thickened Cream until stiff peaks form (I used a stand mixer. If using CC to whip cream, wash bowl and whisk after whipping cream, rinse in cold water and dry thoroughly).
Insert Ultrablade. Stopper out.
Add chilled custard.
Sp8:15sec or until custard is smooth. Scraping bowl with spatula as required.
Insert Whisk. Stopper out.
Add 1/3 quantity of whipped cream.
Sp5:5sec. Repeat twice with remaining cream.
Remove whisk and fold through any unmixed cream with spatula.
Refrigerate until firm enough to pipe.
If using to fill cakes or slices, pipe or spread Creme Diplomat onto bottom layer of cake or slice and refrigerate until firm before topping with top layer of cake or slice.