CREAM PUFFS

This Recipe Makes 6 Medium Puffs

Cream Puffs are absolutely delicious & ever so easy to prepare. This recipe uses puff pastry.which is baked & then filled with whipped cream.

Homemade puff pastry is always a winner but nowadays everyone needs the easy way out so I have used a store bought puff pastry for this recipe.

As a kid, I used to love visiting the local bakeries & would always bag one of these Cream Puffs. I love it with the addition of nuts, although this can be omitted from the recipe.

Cream Puffs Ingredients:

• 250 grams puff pastry
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup finely chopped mixed nuts
• 250 ml whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon gelatin or china grass (agar agar) powder
• 30 ml water
• 2 ½ tablespoons icing (confectionery) sugar
• Additional icing (confectionery) sugar for dusting
• All-purpose flour for dusting

Method:

1. 1. Firstly, make sure that the puff pastry is defrosted.
   2. Preheat oven to 180° Celsius or 356° Fahrenheit.
   3. Place a glass bowl & the whisks into the freezer until ready to use.
   4. 
   5. Dust some flour onto a baking pan & set aside.
   6. 
   7. Finely chop mixed nuts or any nuts of your choice (this step may be omitted) & spread it into a flat plate or casserole until ready to use.
   8. 
   9. Next, crack an egg into a bowl.
   10. 
   11. Beat well using a fork & set aside.
   12. 
   13. Thereafter, sprinkle some flour onto a working surface & place the puff pastry over it.
   14. 
   15. Next, trim off any uneven edges & divide into equal squares – I got six medium sized squares. They may also be shaped to your preference.
   16. 
   17. 
   18. Take the opposite ends of the square pastry & fold diagonally across to create a triangle shape.
   19. 
   20. Next, brush the tops of all the triangular shaped puff pastry with the beaten egg. Milk may be used instead of the egg but if the nuts are being used then I recommend using the egg wash as this will act as an adhesive for the nuts.
   21. 
   22. Gently place the egg wash side of the pastry into the plate/casserole of nuts & press down slightly.
   23. 
   24. Carefully lift up the pastry & it should be coated with the nuts.
   25. 
   26. Place the nut coated pastries onto the floured baking tray – nut side up.
   27. 
   28. 
   29. Bake for 20 minutes until golden.
   30. 
   31. 
   32. Remove them from the hot baking pan & set aside onto a plate or cooling rack & allow for them to completely cool down.
   33. 
   34. Whilst the pastries are cooling, begin preparing the whipped cream.
   35. 
   36. Add the gelatin or china grass powder (agar agar) to a microwavable bowl. I used china grass powder as I find it works better than gelatin. This is used to stabilize the cream.
   37. 
   38. Pour in the water & give it a quick stir.
   39. 
   40. Microwave for 20 seconds.
   41. 
   42. Give it a mix & it should be of a thicker consistency.
   43. 
   44. Next, remember the bowl & the whisks that were in the freezer? It’s time to bring them out.
   45. Pour the cream into the cold bowl.
   46. 
   47. Add in the icing (confectionery) sugar.
   48. 
   49. Whisk using the cold whisks until combined. Thereafter, add in the gelatin or china grass mixture (agar agar).
   50. 
   51. Whisk until stiff peaks form.
   52. 
   53. 
   54. Add the whipped cream to a piping bag or syringe. Alternatively, the cream may be spooned in.
   55. 
   56. By now the pastries should be cooled. Take a serrated knife & gently cut the pastries in halves, starting at the pointy edge – but not all the way through – it should create a flap.
   57. 
   58. 
   59. 
   60. Fill the openings of the pastries with the whipped cream.
   61. 
   62. 
   63. 
   64. Dust some icing (confectionery) sugar over using a sifter.
   65. 
   66. 
   67. These Cream Puffs are ready to be devoured.
   68. 
   69. They are best eaten whilst fresh & any leftover whipped cream can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
   70.