Pâté à choux (Choux Pastry)

Choux pastry is used to make cream puffs, eclairs, and profiteroles.  You can also use choux pastry for a number of savory items, including cheese puff and even gnocchi. 

This was my first time working with choux pastry, and we made "cheese puffs."  I made the basic choux pastry, and then I added Swiss cheese to it before I put it in the pastry bag.  The cheese puffs were absolutely delectable and disappeared as soon as I took them out of the oven.

Recipe: Choux Pastry

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup flour

4 large eggs

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, water, butter and salt. Bring to a boil.  Remove the pan from the heat when the butter melts.  Add the flour and stir vigourously with a wooden spoon until blended. 

2. Return the pan to medium heat and continue stirring until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball.  Remove from heat and let cool for 3 minutes, or until 140 degrees F.

3. Whisk one egg in a small bowl.  Once the batter has cooled, pour the egg into the batter and beat with a spoon until incorporated.  Add the remaining 3 eggs one at a time by whisking each one first and then stirring it into the batter.  Let the paste cool for 10 minutes before shaping.

4. Position a rack in the center of the oven.  Preheat oven to 425 F.  Line a rimless baking sheet with a silicone mat.  Fit a piping bag with a 5 mm plain tip, and fill the bag with the paste. 

5. For each puff, pipe about 1 teaspoon paste onto the lined baking sheet.  Bake the puffs for 15 minutes.  Then, reduce the heat to 375 F and bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and prick the sides to allow the steam to vent.  Return to the oven, leave the door open, and allow the puffs to vent for about 10 minutes.

For cheese puffs:
Follow the above recipe, but add 1 cup of Swiss cheese after beating the eggs into the paste.  Stir the cheese into the warm paste, and fill the piping bag with the paste.