Sunday, July 29, 2012

Ooh La La Cream Puffs


Have you met author Heather Blake? I've never seen her without a smile. You might be familiar with some of her books since Heather also writes under the name Heather Webber. She's the author of over a dozen novels. She's a Dr Pepper enthusiast, total homebody who loves to be close to her family, read, watch Reality TV (totally addicted, especially to competition shows), crochet, occasionally leave the house to hike the beautiful mountains in the northeast, bake (mostly cookies) and dreams of owning a house at the base of Mt. Mansfield in Stowe, VT. Heather grew up in a suburb of Boston, but currently, she lives in the Cincinnati area with her family and is hard at work on her next book.


Her latest book A Witch Before Dying hits the stores officially on August 7th.

When Darcy is hired by Elodie Keaton to clean up her missing mother’s disorderly home, the Wishcrafter is certainly up for the task. After all, the motto of her Aunt Ve’s personal concierge service As You Wish is “No Job Impossible.” But beneath the piles of old newspapers and knickknacks, Darcy discovers something much more disturbing: Patrice Keaton’s body.

Darcy’s determined to give Elodie peace of mind by investigating her mother’s disappearance and death. Patrice was last seen over a year ago after a fight with her Charmcrafter boyfriend. Was her murder a crime of passion? Or were Patrice’s troubles caused by the Anicula, a wish-granting amulet? Now Darcy has to find not only a killer but also the Anicula— before the power of ultimate wish fulfillment falls into the wrong hands…


Read more about Heather at www.heatherblakebooks.com .

And now -- Heather!

Back in the spring, my daughter came home from school with a specific assignment for her high school French class: She had to make a French recipe.

Of course, I volunteered to help because as I have a French character in my latest mystery series (Pepe, the mouse familiar from my Wishcraft mysteries), I felt as though I was fully qualified.

However, my daughter being the good girl she is opted to do the project on her own, though she graciously allowed me to be her sous chef (I can measure flour like no one’s business).

She pored over various recipes and ended up making something that we’re quite fond of in our family: Cream puffs! Light and crisp pastry shells that have a yummy filling. Fillings can be anything you choose, from savory to sweet. She opted to use our family’s vanilla custard filling for her assignment.

There are many recipes for cream puffs out there—all very similar. Here’s hers:

Pastry:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs at room temperature

Preheat oven to 375˚. In a medium pot, combine the water and the butter and bring it to a boil. Remove it from the heat and dump in the flour, stirring until it’s all combined. Let it cool for a couple of minutes before returning it to the heat (on medium) and stir constantly until a dough ball forms. One at a time, add the eggs, and stir briskly until the dough is nice and smooth (great arm workout!). 











Place rounded tablespoons of dough on an ungreased cookie sheet (which can be lined with parchment if you prefer), 2-3 inches apart. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the pastry is nice and golden brown. During the last few minutes of baking, you can poke one or two holes in the dough with a toothpick to let steam escape and prevent puffs from collapsing (she didn’t do this and her puffs were fine). 


After cooling, cut the top part of the puff off (save it!), remove some of the doughy insides (they look like strings), and fill the pastry with your favorite filling. Then replace the top (like a little hat).

***You can adjust the dough amount depending on what size puff you prefer. Small bite-sized puffs are great for appetizers.

Yield depends on size of the puffs. My daughter’s batch made twenty.


Vanilla Custard Filling (can be easily doubled):

1 cup milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbs. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 egg yolks
2 tsp. vanilla extract
In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour, and salt
In another small bowl, combine egg yolks, beating gently to combine

On medium heat, warm milk in a pot until you start to see steam rising. Slowly whisk in the sugar, flour, salt mix. Stir until the mixture thickens, about five minutes. Remove a teaspoon of the mix and slowly temper it into the egg yolks, then slowly whisk the egg yolk mixture into the custard. Continue to cook for another five minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Transfer into a bowl and let cool for ten minutes before placing a layer of plastic wrap over the top of the custard (actually touching the custard—this prevents skin from forming) and refrigerate until completely cool—a few hours. 

***A quick and easy substitute for vanilla custard is to use instant vanilla pudding.

You can dust the top of your cream puff with confectioner’s sugar or drizzle with chocolate.

Bon appetit!
 

Voila!

14 comments:

  1. Oh Heather yummmmmmm, congratulate your daughter on those perfect puffs! I love that dessert, but my mother used to make little ones stuffed with crabmeat for appetizers.

    Can't wait for the new book!

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  2. Wow who knew they were that simple! They look great. I never thought about putting something 'savory' in them....a cheese thing comes to mind.
    Cannot wait to read the next Wishcraft book!! I love Darcy and who can resist Pepe?
    Of course that last line in the last book.....that will sure grab your attention!!

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  3. I remember when I was in french class. I just tried to make boklava. Wow it's been a long time since I've thought about that.
    its funny I was in Barnes and noble yesterday and I tried to buy the new book, LOL, I thought I was out already.

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  4. That intro is so true. Heather without a smile? I can't even picture it.

    And good to know she's a good sous chef. I am always in need of baking assistants.

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  5. I haven't baked cream puffs in forever. Seems like I filled them with ice cream the last time. Custard is more indulgent and yummy, though. Thanks for joining us today, Heather! And thank your lovely daughter for sharing her recipe with us!

    ~ Krista

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  6. What a wonderful post, Heather! You daughter is adorable and her cream puffs are perfect. My mom used to make them and this really brings back memories. Thanks to you both and big congrats on the publication of your new Wishcraft mystery - A Wish Before Dying (love the title). Enjoy you release week! ~ Cleo

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  7. Lucy, we haven't tried the savory puffs yet, but I bet they're delicious!

    Lori, they are very simple. And tasty! Small ones filled with a cream cheese mixture sounds so good.

    Hi Carrie! Thanks for looking for the book--there have been sightings, but it won't technically be out till next week.

    Aimee, I'll gladly be your assistant!

    Krista, ice cream filling sounds heavenly. And perfect for summer! Thanks for having me here today. :)

    Hi Cleo-thanks! They are a bit of an old-fashioned dessert, but I think it's time for a comeback!

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  8. I love easy recipes and it's good to know that you were a wonderful sous-chef.

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  9. Wow - these look delicious!! Thanks for making cream puffs seem so easy, Heather!

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  10. Heather, how adorable are these! Love your series!

    ~Avery aka Daryl

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  11. Dru Ann, she's a good boss. :)

    Wendy, you could totally whip these out! (I was lucky enough to eat some of Wendy's cooking last week. The girl can COOK!)

    Thanks, Avery!

    Kim, they're addicting--watch out!

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  12. Heather, I SO agree with you - it is definitely time to bring back Cream Puffs! Nobody ever gets tired of these, do they? I used to make them small, drizzled with chocolate, for showers. They're such a joyful indulgence! Is that your daughter "teasing" the pastry? Wonderful style!

    My own daughters and I are counting the hours until we can start fighting over the next Wishcraft book. Might as well buy three copies - I know I'll lose mine if I don't!

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  13. Laine, those are Baby Girl's hands. :) She makes quite the model.

    You have the best family! You and the girls never cease to make me smile. Thanks so much for sharing my books with them. Hugs!

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