Choux Puffs With Toffee Sauce Food

CLASSIC CREAM PUFFS WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the pastry cream: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in the egg yolks until combined, then whisk in the milk. Heat over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it starts to thicken, 4 to 5 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat.
• Whisk in the butter and vanilla bean paste. Transfer to a bowl, then press a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface of the pastry cream. Let cool, then refrigerate until chilled through, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Start the cream puff dough: In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, butter and salt to a simmer over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture comes together. Cook until the mixture starts to pull away from the sides of the pan into a ball and looks dry, 3 to 5 minutes more.
• Finish the cream puff dough: Using a wooden spoon, beat in the eggs, one at a time, waiting until they are fully incorporated before adding the next. Mix until the batter is shiny and stiff. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-low speed to incorporate the eggs. Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round pastry tip.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Form and bake: On the prepared baking sheet, pipe rounds of dough that are 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide and about 1 inch high, allowing 1 inch between each. Alternatively, measure out a scant 1/4-cup dough for each puff. Wet your finger and press down any pointed tops on the cream puffs. Bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven to 350 degrees F and bake until firm to the touch, another 15 to 20 minutes.
• Finish baking: Shut the oven off. Let the puffs dry inside the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.
• Assemble: Using a paring knife, hollow out a hole in the bottom of each of the puffs. Pipe the pastry cream into the hole. Alternatively, you can cut the top off each puff and remove any undercooked dough in the center, then fill with the pastry cream and top with the top again. Hold in the refrigerator until ready to garnish and serve.
• Make the chocolate sauce: In a small pot, heat the cream. In a small bowl that fits over the pot of cream (without the bottom of the bowl touching the cream), combine the chocolate with the cinnamon. Use the pot of cream as the bottom of the double boiler and melt the chocolate over the cream. When the chocolate is melted, add the heated cream to the bowl with the chocolate and whisk to combine. Keep warm.
• Top the cream puffs with a sprinkle of confectioners' sugar and some of the chocolate sauce.

CHOUX PASTRY (FOR CREAM PUFFS, ECLAIRS, ETC)

Steps:

• Chop butter, melt in water and just bring to boiling. Immediately add flour, and mix well with wooden spoon, until it forms a dough that leaves the side of the pan (it looks really gross and clumpy at first, but as you keep stirring it fixes itself). Remove from heat and cool 2 minutes.
• For a sweet pastry, add the sugar to the beaten eggs. Stir in the eggs, mixing until it look like dough again (this is gross at first too).
• Now you have many choices: using a pastry bag or spoon, shape the dough as desired (for puffs: use a spoon or pipe a mound, eclairs: pipe a line, rings: pipe a circle, profiteroles: pipe a mound w/star tip) onto a greased cookie sheet. Keep in mind that it will grow to aprox 3xs its size when done.
• Bake at 425 'til it looks crisp and golden, about 30 mins for half dollar sized puffs. Cut in half, or cut a slit in the side to let the steam escape- if you don't do this fairly quickly they get soggy inside.
• They save for a while in tupperware, unless they're filled. You are supposed to fill them with freshly whipped cream that has a touch of powdered sugar and vanilla or almond added in, but I just fill them with buttercream frosting because its cheaper and tastes pretty good too.

PROFITEROLES (CHOUX PUFFS)

Steps:

• Bring water and butter to a boil in a 2 quart heavy saucepan over high heat, then reduce heat to moderate add flour all at once and cook, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until mixture pulls away from the pan (about 2 minutes) remove pan from heat and add eggs, 1 at a time (2 egg whites at a time), stirring vigorously after each addition until smooth preheat oven to 425*F.
• Transfer dough to a pastry bag (I used a ziplock with a snipped end perfectly) and pipe mounds 1/3 inch in diameter about 1/2 inch apart on 2 large baking sheets lined with parchment.
• Gently flatten tips of mounds with a moist fingertip.
• Bake 1 sheet at a time, in middle of oven until golden brown and cooked through, 12-15 minutes.

TINY CHOUX PUFFS

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil with butter and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over high heat, then reduce heat to moderate. Add flour all at once and cook, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from side of pan, about 2 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat and add eggs 1 at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition until mixture is smooth.
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Transfer dough to pastry bag and pipe mounds, 1/3 inch in diameter, about 1/2 inch apart on 2 greased large baking sheets. Gently flatten tips of mounds with a fingertip dipped in water. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, in middle of oven until golden brown and cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.

APPLE-CRANBERRY CRISP WITH WARM TOFFEE SAUCE

Steps:

• For toffee sauce: Measure water into a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan.
• Add sugar and butter; do not stir!
• Measure out whipping cream, set near the stove along with vanilla.
• Place saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil without stirring. Let bubble briskly for 5 to 7 minutes or until the sugar begins to change colour. Swirl pan gently on the unit until the colour becomes deeply golden.
• Avert your face (as hot steam rapidly rises) and near the side of the pan, pour in whipping cream. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth.
• Remove pan from heat; stir in vanilla. Cool until lukewarm before pouring into a container; sauce thickens as it cools. (Once cooled, sauce can be covered and refrigerated for up to a week.)
• Warm sauce in a small saucepan or briefly in the microwave before serving.
• For crisp, evenly spread fruit in a 9 x 13-inch (3-L) baking dish or pan.
• Stir brown sugar with flour and cinnamon; mix in oats. Pour in butter; stir until crumbs form and topping is evenly moistened.
• Spread over fruit and bake in preheated 350ºF (180ºC) oven 40 minutes, or until fruit is soft when tested with a skewer. Crisp is delicious warm or at room temperature.
• To serve, pour about 1 tbsp (15 mL) of toffee syrup onto each serving plate, cover with a portion of the crisp and drizzle a bit more sauce over top.