The Secret of Fine Puffery

Cream puff dough can be your best culinary friend when you’re entertaining. It’s easy-to-make and inexpensive (a basic recipe with water, flour, five tablespoons butter or margarine and four eggs yields about three dozen small puffs), and it is amazingly versatile.

It can be used for savory cocktail hors d’oeuvre and sweet desserts, for small puffs, eclairs or elaborate rings. While the puffs are normally filled, they are delicious without filling. And on top of all that, baked cream puffs freeze perfectly.

The recipes that follow include two cocktail puffs--a Mediterranean puff with sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives, fresh basil and Parmesan cheese, as well as a Dijon ham and cheese puff--and a citrus puff for all manner of desserts. More than individual recipes, these specific puffs will give you flavoring ideas to suit your own taste. To that end, a basic recipe is also provided.

Use this recipe as a guide for mixing and baking cream puffs and as a base for your own flavoring mix. For savory puffs, cheese, herbs and green onions can be added. For the sweet variety, try different flavorings, but be sure to keep the sugar content down as sugar makes them less likely to puff. The glaze lasts for two weeks, refrigerated; use it to glaze breads and cookies as well.

BASIC CREAM PUFF PASTRY DOUGH

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 teaspoon salt, for savory puffs, or 2 tablespoons sugar plus dash salt, for dessert puffs

1 cup flour

4 large eggs, at room temperature

Glaze

Generously grease baking sheet(s) and sprinkle with water, shaking off any excess water over sink.

Heat 1 cup water, butter, 3/4 teaspoon salt (or sugar mixture if using) in heavy 1-quart saucepan over medium heat until butter melts and liquid is simmering. Remove from heat. Beat in flour with wooden spoon. Continue beating until mixture leaves sides of pan and coheres into mass. Return to medium heat and cook, beating constantly, until light film coats bottom of pan, about 1 minute. Do not overcook.

Transfer dough to food processor work bowl or mixing bowl. Let dough rest 5 minutes. Add eggs, mixing in 1 at time, until dough is smooth and shiny.

Shape puffs by spooning generous 1/2 tablespoon dough into about 1 1/2-inch rounds onto prepared sheets, leaving 1 1/2 inches between each. (Or use pastry bag fitted with 3/4-inch round tube.) Moisten fingers with water to smooth any rough edges and shape dough into neat rounds. Lightly brush or dab Glaze onto puffs.

Bake in center of 425-degree oven until bottoms are brown, about 28 minutes. Turn off oven, open door for 1 minute. Leave puffs in oven 15 minutes with door slightly ajar. Cool on racks. Makes about 32 to 36 (1 1/2-inch) diameter puffs.

Glaze

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

Froth egg with salt in small bowl.

The virtue of this Mediterranean-flavored puff is that it is so delicious that a filling is unnecessary. However, if you insist, a softened goat cheese or well-drained chopped fresh tomatoes with minced onions and basil would work well as fillings.

MEDITERRANEAN PUFFS

1/3 cup milk

5 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup flour

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, preferably imported

10 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes

2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves

Glaze (above recipe)

Generously grease baking sheet(s) and sprinkle with water, shaking off any excess water over sink.

Heat milk, 2/3 cup water, butter, salt and cayenne pepper in heavy 1-quart saucepan over medium heat until butter melts and liquid is simmering. Remove from heat. Beat in flour with wooden spoon. Continue beating until mixture leaves sides of pan and coheres into mass. Return to medium heat and cook, beating constantly, until light film coats bottom of pan, about 1 minute. Do not overcook.

Transfer dough to food processor work bowl or mixing bowl. Let rest 5 minutes. Mix in eggs, 1 at time until dough is smooth, thick and shiny. Add all but 2 tablespoons cheese, olives, sun-dried-tomatoes and basil. Mix well.

Shape puffs by spooning generous 1/2 tablespoon dough into about 1 1/2-inch rounds onto prepared sheets, leaving 1 1/2 inches between each. (Or use pastry bag fitted with 3/4-inch round tube.) Smooth any rough edges with moist finger and shape dough into neat rounds.

Lightly brush or dab Glaze onto puffs. Sprinkle reserved cheese over tops of puffs, dividing evenly.

Bake in center of 425-degree oven until bottoms are brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Turn off oven, open door for 1 minute. Leave puffs in oven with door slightly ajar for 15 minutes. Cool to warm on racks. Serve warm. (Reheat if needed in 300-degree oven, about 8 minutes.) Makes 36 to 40 (1 1/2-inch) puffs.

These puffs are reminiscent of those served with aperitifs at Taillevent restaurant in Paris. Although these do not require fillings, they would make the most appealing cocktail sandwiches with the thinnest slices of cheese, ham and a small piece of roasted red pepper nestled in between the top and bottom.

DIJON HAM AND CHEESE PUFFS

1/3 cup milk

2/3 cup water

4 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper

1 cup flour

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese, preferably imported

3 thin slices deeply-smoked ham, about 2 ounces total, minced

Glaze

Generously grease baking sheets and sprinkle with water, shaking off any excess water over sink. Set aside.

Heat milk, water, butter, mustard, salt and crushed red pepper in heavy 1-quart saucepan over medium heat until butter melts and liquid is simmering. Remove from heat. Beat in flour with wooden spoon. Continue beating until mixture leaves sides of pan and coheres into mass. Return to medium heat and cook, beating constantly, until light film coats bottom of pan, about 1 minute. Do not overcook.

Transfer dough to food processor work bowl or mixing bowl. Let rest 5 minutes. Mix in eggs, 1 at time until dough is smooth, thick and shiny. Add all but 2 tablespoons cheese and ham. Mix well to combine.

Shape puffs by spooning generous 1/2 tablespoon dough into about 1 1/2-inch rounds onto prepared sheets, leaving 1 1/2 inches between each. Smooth any rough edges with moistened finger and shape dough into neat rounds. Lightly brush Glaze onto puffs. Sprinkle reserved cheese over tops of puffs, dividing evenly.

Bake on center rack of oven at 400 degrees until bottoms are brown, about 23 minutes. Turn off oven, open door for 1 minute. Leave puffs in oven with door slightly ajar for 15 minutes. Cool to warm on racks. Serve warm. (Reheat if needed in 300-degree oven, about 8 minutes.) Makes about 44 (1 1/2-inch diameter) puffs.

Here, cream puff dough is flavored and baked into the most delicate dessert puffs, which can be filled with fruit sorbets, fresh sugared berries, flavored whipped cream or thick custard and served with a fruit or custard sauce. Puffs should be completely cool before filling.

CITRUS PUFFS

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Grated zest of 1 orange

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons sugar

Dash salt

1 cup flour

4 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Glaze

Generously grease baking sheets and sprinkle with water, shaking off any excess water over sink.

Heat water, milk, lemon and orange zest, butter, sugar and salt in heavy 1-quart saucepan over medium heat until butter melts and liquid is simmering. Remove from heat. Beat in flour with wooden spoon. Continue beating until mixture leaves sides of pan and coheres into mass. Return to medium heat and cook, beating constantly, until light film coats bottom of pan, about 1 minute. Do not overcook.

Transfer dough to food processor work bowl or mixing bowl. Let dough rest 5 minutes. Mix in eggs, 1 at time. Dough should be smooth, thick and shiny. Add lemon extract. Mix well to combine.

Shape puffs by spooning generous 1/2 tablespoon dough into about 1 1/2-inch rounds onto prepared sheets, leaving 1 1/2 inches between each. Alternately, use pastry bag fitted with 3/4-inch round tube. Moisten fingers with water to smooth any rough edges and shape dough into neat rounds.

Lightly brush Glaze onto puffs.

Bake on center rack of oven at 400 degrees until bottoms are brown, about 20 minutes. Turn off oven, open door for 1 minute. Leave puffs in oven with door slightly ajar for 15 minutes. Cool completely on racks. Makes 42 (1 1/2-inch) puffs.