French pastry made easy
Classic French pastries, from croissants to Kouign Amann, are famous for their rich, buttery goodness, but infamous for intimidating most home cooks, who shy away from baking them at home. But there is one classic French pastry that any cook, no matter how timid, can easily master: pâte à choux. In fact, this simple pastry dough may be easier to prepare than it is to pronounce.Pâte à choux (pronounced paht a shoo) is one of the oldest, most versatile and easiest to master of all the French pastries, and no other combination of fat, flour and eggs can be transformed into so many sweet and savory creations. The choux in pâte à choux means “cabbage” in French, no doubt christened long ago by a pastry chef with a good sense of humor because small baked puffs of th e dough resemble tiny heads of cabbage when they emerge hot from the oven.
You won’t need any complicated equipment to make pâte à choux at home. In fact, all you really need is a heavy saucepan, a wooden spoon and a good, strong arm (although you can use an electric mixer if you want) to transform a few pantry staples into this most versatile of pastries.
Water — or a combination of water and milk, — butter, and a dash of sugar and salt are combined in a saucepan and brought to a boil. Off the heat, flour is beaten in quickly to form a stiff paste that pulls away from the sides of the pan. Eggs are beaten in, a little at a time, until the dough is smooth, thick and shiny, but still slightly sticky.
At this point, you can make a variety of pastries; sprinkle spoonfuls of the dough with pearl sugar and bake into crisp, airy puffs called chouquettes. You can eat these alone as a snack or stuff them with whipped cream. Turn the puffs into profiteroles when you split them in half and fill with ice cream instead of whipped cream, and drizzle with warm chocolate sauce. Pipe the dough into long, thin lozenges to form éclairs, and fill with vanilla or coffee-flavored custard or whipped cream before dipping the tops in a shiny chocolate glaze.
Fried in hot oil, spoonfuls of pâte à choux are transformed into beignets — crisp, delicately sweet fritters just waiting to be rolled in cinnamon-sugar and served warm with a little jam on the side. For something a little more savory, fold crumbled bits of crispy bacon, chopped herbs like thyme or fresh chives and grated Parmesan, gruyere or sharp white cheddar cheese into the dough before baking into gougeres — delicate little cheese puffs that make an elegant hors d’oeuvre to serve with cocktails.
Pâte à choux can be prepared ahead of time, too; simply spoon or pipe the dough into the desired shape onto a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and freeze until firm. When the dough is frozen solid, transfer the raw pastries into a self-sealing plastic bag and store for one or two weeks in the freezer. Bake the pastries directly from the freezer without thawing first, and let them cook a minute or two longer until they are crisp and golden brown and baked through.
O’Connor is a San Diego-based food writer and cookbook author. Her latest cookbook, “Cake, I Love You” (Chronicle Books) will be released in the spring.
Practically perfect pâte à choux
Melt the butter before boiling: Don’t let the water boil before the butter melts. If the mixture boils too soon, it will disrupt the balance of moisture in the finished pastry.
Add the flour all at once: As soon as the water comes to a vigorous boil, remove the pan from the heat and add the flour all at once. Stir like crazy with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan.
Dry the dough: Cook the dough, stirring vigorously, for an additional 30 to 60 seconds to eliminate any raw flour taste. A drier dough will absorb more egg, yielding a lighter, crisper pastry.
Cool slightly: Let the dough cool for about 5 minutes before you start adding the eggs. If the dough is too hot, the eggs will start to set. But don’t wait too long; if the dough is cold, it won’t absorb the egg as well and puffs won’t rise properly.
A little at a time: Beat in the eggs a little at a time. The final batter should be smooth and glossy, and a little sticky but still firm enough to hold its shape when piped or spooned onto the baking sheet without being runny.
Bake high down low: Start baking your pastries at 400 degrees F on the lowest rack in the oven. Your pâte à choux should triple in volume with this initial blast of heat. Reduce the heat after about 20 minutes and continue baking until crisp and golden brown.
Release the steam: When the pastries are completely cooked, pierce each one with a wooden skewer to release any steam that might make them soggy. Let the pastries cool slightly and then return to the oven for about 3 minutes to completely dry out the interior. Puffs filled with whipped cream or custard will remain crisper, longer, if you follow this final step.
Make ahead: After baking, allow pastries to cool completely. Spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm. Transfer them to plastic freezer bags and store for up to 2 weeks.
Jill O’Connor
Classic Pâte à Choux
This basic pastry can be made with water alone or with a combination of water and milk. For crisp pastries that will be filled with whipped cream or custard, use water. For pastries that will be served hot, like the beignets or gougeres, use the richer version made with water and milk.
Makes enough for approximately 2 dozen gougeres, chouquettes, or beignets or about 1 dozen éclairs.
1 cup water, or ½ cup water and ½ cup milk
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, sifted
4 to 5 large eggs, at room temperature
Combine the water, or the water and milk, in a large saucepan with the salt, sugar and the butter. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the butter melts completely. Increase the heat to high, and bring to a full, rolling boil. Remove the pan from the heat and add all the flour all at once, stirring briskly with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan.
Return the pan to the heat and stir the dough briskly for 1 minute. This will dry any excess moisture and eliminate any raw flour taste from the dough. Remove the pan from the heat and cool for about 5 minutes. If you are using a stand mixer, transfer the dough to the mixer bowl to cool. While the dough is cooling, use a fork to whisk four eggs together in a 16-ounce measuring cup, just until blended.
If using a stand mixer, fit it with the paddle attachment. (The batter can be prepared with a stand mixer, an electric hand mixer or by hand just using a wooden spoon and beating vigorously.) With the mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs into the dough a little at a time, adding more as the egg is incorporated into the dough. The final dough should be smooth, shiny, and a little sticky but still firm enough to hold its shape when spooned or piped onto a baking sheet. If the dough seems too dry, beat the fifth egg and add it a tablespoon at a time until the proper consistency is reached.
Fit a 12- or 16-inch piping bag with a large, 1/2-inch round pastry tip and fill with pâte à choux. Continue, using the directions to make chouquettes, gougeres, beignets, or éclairs.
Chouquettes
Chouquettes are small, crisp pastry puffs sprinkled with crunchy pearl sugar before they are baked. This simple pastry is usually served unfilled, as a snack.
Makes about 2 dozen chouquettes
One recipe Classic Pâte à Choux
Pearl Sugar, for sprinkling
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place an oven rack on the bottom shelf of the oven. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Fit a 12- or 16-inch piping bag with a large, 1/2-inch round pastry tip and fill with pâte à choux. Pipe 1 to 1 1/2-inch mounds at least 1 inch apart on the prepared pans. If the mounds of dough develop a point as you pull the pastry tip away, wet your finger and gently pat the point down. Sprinkle generously with pearl sugar.
Bake each sheet, one at a time, on the bottom shelf for 20 minutes, or until the puffs are expanded three times their original size, and are just beginning to turn brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking for 5 to 10 more minutes until the puffs are golden and crisp.
Transfer to a wire rack and serve immediately.
Variation: To make cream puffs, eliminate the pearl sugar and bake as directed. As soon as the puffs come out of the oven, use a serrated knife to gently saw each puff in half horizontally and cool completely (this will eliminate any steam that might make the puffs soggy.) Cream puffs are best filled as close to serving as possible, but they can be filled and refrigerated up to 2 hours ahead of time, if necessary. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large star pastry tip with sweetened whipped cream. Pipe a generous amount of cream into the bottom half of each puff. Replace each top and sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar before serving. For an added flourish, spoon a teaspoon of jam into the bottom of each puff before filling with cream.
Chocolate Éclairs
Éclairs are traditionally filled with vanilla, coffee or chocolate pastry cream, but for the sake of expedience, I fill mine with sweetened whipped cream instead.
Makes 1 1/2 to 2 dozen éclairs
1 recipe Classic Pâte à Choux
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
For the chocolate glaze:
4 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate or ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
½ cup heavy cream
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place an oven rack on the bottom shelf of the oven. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Fit a 12- or 16-inch piping bag with a large, 1/2-inch round pastry tip and fill with pâte à choux. Pipe 4-inch strips at least 1 to 2 inches apart on the prepared pans. If the strips of dough develop a point as you pull the pastry tip away, wet your finger and gently pat the point down.
Bake each sheet, one at a time, on the bottom shelf for 20 minutes, or until the éclairs are expanded three times their original size and are just beginning to turn brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 5 to 10 more minutes until they are golden, crisp and hollow inside. Remove from the oven and transfer the éclairs to a wire rack to cool. Pierce each end with the tip of a sharp knife to release any interior steam and let cool completely.
With an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla together in a medium bowl until stiff. Fit a large piping bag with a ¼-inch round tip and fill with whipped cream. Insert the tip into the éclair and fill with cream. If you have difficulty getting the cream to fill the entire pastry, insert the pastry tip into the other end of the éclair, and fill from that end as well.
Make the chocolate glaze: Combine the chocolate, butter and corn syrup in a small bowl. Bring the cream to a boil and pour over the chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Dip the top of the filled éclair into the glaze once or twice, then place on a rack to allow the glaze to firm up.
Gougeres
You can make these cheese puffs well ahead of serving, freezing the puffs before or after they are baked. If you freeze the pastries raw, simply bake them straight from the freezer without thawing. Reheat frozen puffs that have already been baked in a 300-degree oven just until they are heated through.
Makes about 2 dozen cheese puffs
One recipe Classic Pâte à Choux
6 strips bacon, fried until crisp and finely chopped
¼ cup finely minced fresh chives or green onions
4 to 5 ounces grated sharp white cheddar cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place an oven rack on the bottom shelf of the oven. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Fold the bacon, chives and grated cheese into the pâte à choux. Spoon into a 12- or 16-inch piping bag fitted with a large, 1/2-inch round pastry tip.
Pipe 1 to 1 1/2-inch mounds at least 1 inch apart on the prepared pans. If the mounds of dough develop a point as you pull the pastry tip away, wet your finger and gently pat the point down. Sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese.
Bake each sheet, one at a time, on the bottom shelf for 20 minutes, or until the puffs are expanded three times their original size, and are just beginning to turn brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 5 to 10 more minutes until the puffs are golden and crisp.
Transfer to a wire rack and serve immediately while they are still warm. Beignets
Tender and crisp on the outside with a moist, custardy interior, these elegant French fritters leave ordinary doughnuts in their dust. Best served straight from the fryer, they are delightful rolled in cinnamon sugar or dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Serve them alone, or with a little jam for dipping.
Beignets
Tender and crisp on the outside with a moist, custardy interior, these elegant French fritters leave ordinary doughnuts in their dust. Best served straight from the fryer, they are delightful rolled in cinnamon sugar or dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Serve them alone, or with a little jam for dipping.
Makes about 2 dozen beignets
1 recipe Classic Pte Choux
Vegetable oil for frying
Cinnamon sugar or confectioners’ sugar, for coating the beignets
Fill a Dutch oven or large cast-iron skillet 3-inches deep with vegetable oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it registers 365 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer.
Drop the pte choux dough by rounded tablespoons into the hot oil and fry, turning the fritters over occasionally, until they are golden brown all over and cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes. Use metal tongs to remove the beignets from the hot oil and drain briefly on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Toss the beignets while still warm in cinnamon-sugar or sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately.
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