Swan Cream Puffs On A Chocolate Pond Food

SWAN PROFITEROLES

Steps:

• Pate a Choux: Place an 11-by-17-inch piece of parchment lengthwise on work surface. Using a pencil and ruler, draw sets of parallel lines to make a grid that will be the guide for piping out the swans: Starting 3/4 inch up from the bottom edge, draw a line across the paper. Draw a second parallel line, 2 1/2 inches above the first. Draw a third parallel line, 1 inch above the second line, and a fourth line 2 1/2 inches above the third. Draw another line 1 inch above the fourth line, and a sixth line 2 1/2 inches above that. This should leave a 3/4-inch border at the top. Place parchment, pencil-side down on an 11-by-17-inch unrimmed baking sheet. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium saucepan, heat butter, granulated sugar, salt, and 1 cup water over medium; bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, quickly stir in flour. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture pulls away from sides of pan and a film forms on bottom, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on low speed until slightly cooled, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated and a soft peak forms when you touch dough with your finger.
• Fit a large 18-inch pastry bag with a 1/2-inch round tip (such as Ateco #806). Fill with a generous three-quarters of the dough. Fit a small pastry bag with an 1/8-inch round tip (such as Ateco #11). Fill with remaining dough. Using the large pastry bag, squeeze out 18 large teardrops of dough onto prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart and staying between the lines. Form the heads: On a separate parchment-lined unrimmed baking sheet, using the small pastry bag, squeeze out 18 small S shapes, like question marks but with the second end slightly curved as well. Make a pointed beak by pulling up the tip at the edge of the head.
• Brush beaten egg over swan bodies and heads. Bake bodies 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and add heads. Continue baking until golden and airy, about 25 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Assembly: Gently slice off top of bodies with a sharp serrated knife. Cut tops in half. Working quickly, fill each body with a small scoop of ice cream. Place both pieces of the top back on ice cream to simulate wings; place a head into the ice cream at the point where the two wings meet. Transfer swans to a baking sheet and freeze until ready to serve.
• Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat cream over medium; pour over chocolate. Let stand 5 minutes; stir until smooth. Let cool at room temperature until ready to use. Spoon a pool of chocolate sauce on each plate and top with a swan. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve immediately.

WEDDING SWAN CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring the water, butter and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once; 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. Beat until smooth and shiny. , Cut a small hole in the corner of pastry bag or heavy-duty resealable plastic bag; insert round pastry tip #7. Fill bag with batter. On a greased baking sheet, pipe 3 dozen 2-in.-long "S" shapes for the swan necks, making a small dollop at the end of each for the head. Bake at 400° for 5-8 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. , For swan bodies, drop remaining batter by 36 level tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. With a small icing knife or spatula, shape batter into 2-in. x 1-1/2-in. teardrops. Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks. , Meanwhile, prepare pudding according to package directions for pie filling; chill. , Just before serving, cut off top third of swan bodies; set tops aside. Remove any soft dough inside. Spoon filling into bottoms of puffs. Top each with a small amount of jam if desired. Cut reserved tops in half lengthwise to form wings; set wings in filling. Place necks in filling. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

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.

SWAN PUFF, CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• First sift the flour onto folded paper. Put the milk, butter, salt and sugar into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the flour all at once into the pan, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook this until the paste comes away from the side of the pan and forms a lump, then take the pan off the heat and let it cool a little. Put the paste into a bowl and stir in one egg, which must be completely blended in before the next egg is added, and so on until all the eggs have been incorporated. The paste is ready when it has a silky sheen and is supple and easy to pipe. When preparing swan shapes which need volume, preheat oven with steam to ensure an excellent rise and bake for 15 minutes to 20 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. To Shape Swan: Fill the piping bag with choux paste and pipe 6 large cream puff, the size of a small egg, then 6 very thin 5-inch long "S" shape which will form the head and the neck of the swan. When it is cooked and cooled, cut the top of the cream puff one-fourth of the way down. Fill the cream puff with chantilly cream (whipped cream). Cut the top of cream puff in two, placing the two pieces on either side of the cream to form the wings of the swan. Then place the bottom of the "S" shape in the chantilly cream. The swan is ready. Serve on plate with chocolate sauce.

APRICOT SWAN CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring water, butter and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once; 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. Beat until smooth and shiny.
• Cut a hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert a #10 pastry tip. On a greased baking sheet, pipe twelve 3-in. long S shapes for the swan necks, making a small dollop at the end for head. Bake at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire rack to cool.
• For each swan body, drop remaining batter by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. With a small icing knife or spatula, shape batter into 2-1/2-in. x 2-in. teardrops. Bake at 400 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.
• For filling, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan; gradually stir in milk until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Gradually stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolks; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in butter and extracts. Refrigerate until cool.
• Just before serving, spoon about 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup onto serving plates. Cut off top third of swan bodies; set tops aside. Remove any soft dough inside. Spoon 1 tablespoon apricot preserves into bottom of puffs; add filling. Set necks in filling. Cut reserved tops in half lengthwise to form wings; set wings in filling. Place swans on prepared plates. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

CHOCOLATE CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet lightly with some shortening. Put beaters into the freezer to chill.
• Combine water and shortening in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Add flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt all at once and reduce heat to low. Stir mixture vigorously until it leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time, with chilled beaters, beating vigorously after each addition until batter is smooth and glossy. Drop dough into 6 mounds on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until puffed and dry, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and pierce the side of each puff with a knife to allow steam to escape. Transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely, abut 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine sugar, cocoa powder and whipping cream in a bowl for the filling. Beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until needed.
• Cut cooled puffs in half horizontally. Fill with cocoa whipped cream.
• For the glaze, pour whipping cream into a small pot and heat until hot. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted. Allow to cool slightly. Drizzle chocolate glaze over the cream puffs and refrigerate until serving.

CHOCOLATE CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees.
• Butter and flour a large baking sheet.
• FOR THE PASTRY PUFFS:.
• In a saucepan, combine the water, butter, salt and the 1/2 teaspoon sugar and bring to a boil.
• As soon as it boils, remove the pan from the heat and add the flour all at once.
• Using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, briskly beat in the flour.
• Place the saucepan over high heat and continue beating briskly for 2 minutes.
• Remove from the heat again and scrape the contents of the pan into a large bowl.
• Add 4 of the eggs, one at a time, beating vigorously after each addition until smooth.
• Place the dough in a pastry (piping) bag with a 1/2-inch plain tip.
• Pipe mounds about 2 inches in diameter and 3 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet.
• You should have 16-20 mounds in all.
• In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg until well blended.
• Using a pastry brush, lightly brush each mound with the egg.
• Bake until the puffs are golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Transfer the puffs to a rack and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• When the puffs are cool, slice off the top one-third of each puff.
• Set the bottoms and tops aside.
• FOR THE CHOCOLATE CREAM:.
• Place the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over (not touching) barely simmering water in a pan.
• Stir just until the chocolate melts.
• then remove from the heat.
• Pour the cream into a bowl.
• Using an electric mixer set on high speed, beat until soft peaks form.
• Add the 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form, about 20 seconds.
• Pour all of the melted chocolate into the whipped cream as quickly as possible, and continue to mix on high speed until evenly combined, about 1 minute.
• Place the chocolate cream in a clean pastry (piping) bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip.
• Pipe the cream into the bottoms of the cooled puffs so a little bit of the cream is exposed between the crusts.
• Replace the tops on the filled bottoms and serve immediately.