With this one simple recipe you can create elegant hors d'oeuvres, eclairs or cream puffs. Fill with your choice of puddings or flavored whip creams and don't forget you can glaze the tops with chocolate!

Basic Choux Pastry
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 tbsp sugar or 1/2 tsp salt (sugar for the sweets, salt for hors d'oeuvres)
1 cup AP flour
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 400°. Grease and flour a baking sheet. In a small saucepan heat water and butter over medium heat until mixture boils. About 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low; add sugar or salt.

Add flour; mix over low heat until mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute. Transfer dough to a large bowl; let cool slightly. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until dough is smooth and shiny.

Spoon dough into a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch round tip. Pipe dough into desired shapes on prepared baking sheet.

Bake pastries until lightly golden, about 25-35 minutes. Cut a 1-inch slit on one side of each pastry. Reduce heat to 375°; bake pastries 10 minutes longer. Turn off oven; cool pastries in oven with door ajar.

Cut pastries in half; remove any uncooked dough from the inside and fill with your favorite filling.

Makes 12-18 puffs or eclairs.

Enjoy!

~ame

on Thursday, July 02, 2009

Labels: Recipes