MINIATURE CREAM PUFFS

MINIATURE CREAM PUFFS image

Yield 40 puffs

Number Of Ingredients 8

½ cup water or ¼ cup water and ¼ cup milk
4 tbsp unsalted butter cut into pieces
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
½ cup unbleached all purpose flour
2 or 3 eggs, as needed
EGG WASH:
1 egg slightly beaten with 1 tsp water

Steps:

Place water, butter, salt and sugar in a 2½ quart saucepan; heat to boiling over low heat. (Heat slowly so that butter is just melted when the water reaches a boil). When mixture boils, remove from heat immediately; add flour all at once. Stir vigorously with wooden spoon. Return to heat; stir over medium heat until mixture pulls away from sides of pan, begins to leave a white film on pan and forms a ball, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat; allow to cool 5 minutes. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. The paste should look smooth and shiny but be stiff enough to hold its shape when piped or dropped onto a baking sheet. If paste looks dull and is very stiff, lightly beat third egg and add a little of it to paste; beat until mixture is smooth. Add more egg if needed. Heat oven to 425°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Pipe pastry, using a ½ inch tube (No. 6) to make about 40 one-inch diameter mounds of pastry onto sheets, spacing them ½ inch apart (or use spoons and fingers to shape pastry into mounds). Lightly brush puffs with egg wash while flattening the tops slightly. Bake puffs 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 400°; bake until crisp and brown, about 10 minutes. Poke a ⅛ inch hole in bottom of each puff with tip of knife to release moisture. Turn off oven; return puffs to oven to crisp, about 5 to 10 minutes, propping oven door slightly ajar with a wooden spoon. Cool on wire racks before serving, filling or decorating.