Cream puff VS eclairs.

I cant decide, which is better...
cream puffs or eclairs?
such a hard choice.
we could have a debate on this.

some would say they are the same
but I beg to defer.
cream puffs do not have a glaze
and are obviously poofier in appearance.

while eclairs are longish
and have a blanket of shiny gloss drapped over them.

I guess it all boils down to how light you want your choux to be.
and what shape you prefer.

I'm sitting on the fence here.

to save you the trouble of deciding,
I shall only provide you with one and only one recipe.

CREAM PUFFS!

Pros: light, airy and oh so creamy in the centre.
Cons: eclairs dont stand a chance.

I know..
I'm nice enough to save you from cracking your brain. =)



Chocolate custard cream puffs
recipe from Table for 2.... or more.

Choux Pastry:

250ml water
90g butter (salted)
150g flour
10g sugar
4 large eggs

1. Mix flour with sugar, set aside.

2. Bring water and butter to a boil on low heat.

3. When butter has fully melted, dump the flour and sugar mixture in at one go. Stir immediately with a wooden spoon, and continue to stir until a dough is formed, and it leaves the sides of the pot. Cook for 2-3 mintues on medium heat, stirring constantly.

4. Remove pot from heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes.

5. Beat in eggs one by one, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Beat mixture until it is smooth and glossy. (much easier to use a electric mixer for this job)

6. Pipe (I used a large star tip) or spoon mixture onto baking trays, about the size of a small lime/calamansi 2 inches apart from each other. Bake in a preheated oven of 190C for 10 mins and 170C for another 15 -17mins (until golden brown)

7. Cut a small slit immediately upon removal from oven to release steam from inside the puff.
8. Leave to cool down totally before piping in the filling.

Note: If u’re not using a fan-forced oven, u may need to jack up the temperature by 10C each time. And if u want to make larger puffs, extend the 2nd level’s baking time.

Chocolate custard filling:

3 eggs
750ml chocolate milk
180g sugar
3 level Tbs all purpose flour
3 level Tbs cornstarch
90g bittersweet chocolate
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1. Bring chocolate milk to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, beat eggs with sugar until pale coloured. Mix in flour and cornstarch until well combined.

3. Pour some boiling milk into the egg mixture while stirring with a balloon whisk. Adding more as you stir. When u've added more than half of the milk, u can pour in all the milk. Stir well.

4. Pour custard mixture back into saucepan and on low heat, cook custard until it simmers and no longer taste floury, stirring constantly.

5. Remove from heat. Add in vanilla. Put in chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute. Stir until chocolate melts and remove to a ice bath to chill.

6. Stir the custard occasionally when cooling and its now ready to pipe into the choux puffs. It can also be kept in the fridge with cling wrap on its surface to prevent a skin from forming for later use.