Almond Cream Puff Ring Food

ALMOND-CREAM PUFF RING

Steps:

• Cover a baking sheet with foil; grease the foil. Trace a 12-in. circle onto foil; set aside. In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add egg, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny., Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls along the inside of the circle (mounds should be slightly touching). Bake at 400° for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Lift foil and transfer to a wire rack. Immediately cut a slit in the side of each puff to allow steam to escape; cool. Carefully cut ring in half horizontally and set top aside; remove soft dough from inside with a fork. Transfer to a serving plate., In a bowl, whisk the milk, pudding mix and extract for 2 minutes. Chill for 5 minutes or until thickened. Fold in whipped cream. Spread over bottom of ring; replace top. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and butter; stir until smooth. Stir in corn syrup and milk. Drizzle over ring. Refrigerate until serving.

ALMOND CREAM-PUFF RING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease and flour a cookie sheet, or use parchment paper. Using a dinner plate as a guide, trace a circle on the sheet.
• In 2 quart saucepan over medium heat, combine water, butter, and salt. Bring to a boil. With a wooden spoon, vigorously stir in flour all at once, until mixture forms a ball, and leaves the sides of the pan. Remove from heat, and beat in the eggs one at a time, until mixture is smooth. Drop batter into 10 mounds inside the circle traced on the cookie sheet, to form a ring.
• Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn off oven, leaving ring in for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool on wire rack. When cool, slice in half horizontally, and place bottom ring on serving plate. Spoon Almond Cream Filling on bottom ring, then replace top ring. Chill in refrigerator.
• To make Almond Cream Filling: Prepare pudding according to instructions on package, but use only 1 1/4 cups milk. Fold in whipped cream, and 1 teaspoon almond extract.
• To make Chocolate Glaze: In a double boiler over hot (not boiling) water, combine chocolate chips, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons milk, and 1 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup. Heat until melted and smooth, stirring occasionally. Spoon over the top of chilled ring.

ALMOND CREAM PUFF RING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• In medium saucepan over high heat, heat 1 cup of water with 1/2 cup of butter until mixture boils.
• Turn heat to low and add 1 cup of sifted flour and 1/4 tsp salt.
• Stir vigorously over low heat until dough leaves the side of the pan in a smooth compact ball about 1 minute.
• Quickly transfer dough to a large bowl and with electric mixer at medium speed, beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Continue beating until dough is smooth and satiny.
• On lightly floured cookie sheet, using a dinner plate as a guide, trace a circle.
• Drop heaping measuring tablespoons full of dough just inside the circle to form a ring, making sure each dropful touches the one next to it (this is what will hold your ring together once baked).
• Bake 40 minutes or until golden brown and firm.
• Turn oven heat off and allow puff ring to rest in the oven 15 minutes.
• Then place on a rack to cool way from any draft.
• Once cool, CAREFULLY cut ring in half and remove soft interior with a spoon and discard, leaving the hollowed shell.
• Combine pudding mix and 1 1/4 cups milk in medium bowl and mix for 3 minutes, then refrigerate 30 minutes until set.
• Remove pudding from frige and gradually fold in the whipped cream and almond extract.
• Fill bottom shell with pudding mixture and set top shell in place.
• In double boiler, over hot (not boiling) water, melt the chocolate chips with 1 tbsp of butter, 1 1/2 tsp milk and 1 1/2 tsp corn syrup until smooth.
• Spread on top of cream puff ring and immediately sprinkle with the toasted sliced almonds so they adhere to the chocolate then refrigerate.
• To serve, slice the ring into individual cream puff portions& enjoy.

ALMOND CREAM PUFF RING

Steps:

• About 3 hours before serving:
• In a 2 quart pan over medium heat, heat water, butter, and salt until butter melts and mixture boils. Remove from heat.
• With wooden spoon, vigorously stir in flour all at once until mixture forms a ball and leaves sides of pan. Add eggs to flour mix, one at a time, beating after each addition, until mixture is smooth and satiny. Cool mixture slightly.
• Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease and flour a large cookie sheet. Using a 7 inch plate as a guide, trace a circle in the flour on the cookie sheet. Drop batter by heaping tablespoons into ten mounds, inside circle, to form a ring.
• Bake Ring 40 minutes or until golden. Turn off oven. Let ring remain in oven 15 minutes. Remove from oven, cool on wire rack. When cooled, slice in half, horizontally, with a long serrated knife.
• Prepare Almond Cream filling:
• Prepare pudding as label directs, but use only 1 1/4 cups milk. Fold in 1 cup heavy or whipping cream and 1 tsp. almond extract. Spoon almond filling into bottom of ring, replace top ring. Refrigerate.
• Prepare Chocolate Glaze:
• In double boiler, over hot, not boiling water (or in heavy 1 qt. pot over low heat), heat 1/2 cup Chocolate pieces, 1 Tbsp. butter or oleo, 1 1/2 tsp. milk and 1 1/2 tsp. light corn syrup until smooth, stirring occasionally. Spoon Glaze over top of ring.

CREAM PUFF RING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425°F Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and have ready 1 gallon-size ziptop bag and a pastry bag fitted with a large star piping tip. Draw an 8-in. circle on the parchment paper; turn paper over.
• Pastry:
• Bring milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour all at once; stir energetically with a wooden spoon until dough comes together in a shiny mass (bottom of pan will be covered with a thin film of flour). Cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer hot dough to a large bowl.
• Using a sturdy mixer, beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until each is blended (dough will be thick and shiny). Spoon warm dough into a ziptop bag; cut 3/4 inches off 1 corner.
• Pipe a ring about 1 inches thick on circle on parchment paper. Pipe a second ring inside first, just touching first ring. Pipe a third ring on top where rings meet. (If there's extra dough, pipe mounds for cream puffs or strips for eclairs.)
• Bake 20 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 375°F and bake 20 to 25 minutes more until puffed, brown and firm. Transfer sheet to a wire rack; let ring cool completely. (Ring will sink; that's OK.).
• Strain cream into a measuring cup, adding more chilled heavy cream if needed to make 1 1/3 cups. Pour into a large bowl, add 1/4 cup sugar and beat with mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted. Stir remaining 2 Tbsp sugar into crème fraîche; gently fold into whipped cream.
• Using a serrated knife and gentle sawing motion, slice top off pastry ring. Pull out and discard soft dough inside base. Carefully transfer base to a serving platter.
• Spoon cream filling into prepared pastry bag. Pipe large rosettes close together into base. Pipe another row of rosettes on first row, piping top rosettes between bottom rosettes. Add pastry top. Refrigerate while making Glaze.
• Glaze:
• Microwave chocolate, cream and corn syrup in small bowl on high, stirring every 10 seconds until chocolate melts and glaze is smooth. Spread on top of pastry ring; sprinkle with almonds. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours before serving.

CHERRY CREAM PUFF RING

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring the water, milk, butter and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny. , Drop by 1/4 cupfuls into a 10-in. ring on a greased 12-in. pizza pan (mounds should be slightly touching). Bake at 400° for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. , Remove to a wire rack. Immediately cut a slit in the side of each puff to allow steam to escape. Carefully cut ring in half horizontally and set top aside; remove soft dough from inside with a fork. Cool. , In a small bowl, whisk the milk, sour cream, pudding mix and 1/4 teaspoon extract for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. , Just before serving, place bottom of cream puff ring on a serving plate. Fill with pudding mixture. In a small bowl, beat the cream, confectioners' sugar and remaining extract until stiff peaks form. Spread over pudding. Top with pie filling. Replace cream puff ring top. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.