Mango Cream Puffs

Cream puffs are one of the most blissful desserts in my books (following tiramisu, cheesecake and chocolate truffles). I'm a purist at heart when it comes to certain desserts, and the classic cream puff is an example of that. But, when I'm cooking for company or have a certain type of cuisine in mind (say Thai, Jamaican, Hawaiian, etc.) I think that these mango cream puffs would be a perfect complement to an island themed meal.

There are more steps involved, but it's worth the effort and time. While making the recipe, I found that there was an overabundance of mango-mojito sauce, so feel free to cut the sauce recipe in half if you don't have an immediate use for the large amount  (although the leftovers make a great base for mango lassis!).  I also pureed the mangoes for the filling rather than dicing them.  The only other change I would make next time is to halve the amount of sour cream and replace it with whipped cream to make it lighter; just my personal preference!

In all, the mango cream puffs were refreshing, light, fruity and I found them to have a lovely, more complex taste than a regular cream puff.  We'll definitely be making these again!



Mango Cream Puffs Recipe (via Epicurious)

Puffs:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks

Filling: 

• 2 cups 1/3-inch cubes peeled pitted mango
• 1 cup chilled sour cream
• 1 cup chilled whipping cream
• 1 cup powdered sugar, divided

Spiced Mango-Mojito Sauce:

• 2 large mangoes, peeled, pitted, diced
• 6 tablespoons plain whole-milk yogurt
• 4 tablespoons (or more) sugar
• 3 tablespoons spiced rum
• 1 tablespoon fresh Key lime juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (packed) finely chopped fresh mint

Instructions:

For puffs:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Bring milk, butter, and salt to boil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until butter melts. Add flour all at once.

Reduce heat to medium and stir with wooden spoon until dough forms ball and some batter films bottom of pan thickly, about 4 minutes. Transfer dough to medium bowl and cool 5 minutes. Using electric mixer, beat in eggs and yolks 1 at a time.



Cooling the dough.



Dough after all of the eggs have been mixed.

Drop dough by generous tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto baking sheets, making about 24 puffs. Smooth tops with wet fingertips.

Bake puffs 15 minutes. Reverse sheets and bake puffs until deep golden, about 10 minutes longer. Make small slit in side of each puff. Return to oven, turn off heat, and let dry 15 minutes. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

For filling:

Stir mango and sour cream in medium bowl to blend. Beat whipping cream and 1/2 cup powdered sugar in large bowl until peaks form. Fold whipped cream into mango mixture. Cover bowl; refrigerate filling at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours.

 For sauce:

Purée mangoes in blender or processor until smooth. Transfer 1 1/2 cups purée to medium bowl (reserve remaining purée for another use). Mix yogurt, 4 tablespoons sugar, spiced rum, fresh lime juice, and chopped mint into purée. Sweeten sauce to taste with more sugar, if desired. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Assembly:

Cut cream puffs horizontally in half. Spoon heaping tablespoon filling into each bottom half; cover with tops. Sift remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar over.

Divide cream puffs among 8 plates. Spoon sauce onto plates and serve.

Posted by Dawn.  

The Best Churros.

Making churros was monumental for me because I finally made something that I've always wanted to make my whole adult life.  I think growing up in California where I took for granted that I could get a churro any time, I never had to make them.  But fast forward fifteen years, living in a smaller town in the midwest, churros are not so easily available.   And darn it, I have cravings that need to be met. 

Enter: Luisa.  I mentioned how I missed churros and wanted to attempt to make them, and like the generous soul she is, offered her recipe of churros made with pate choux.  Say what?  Yeah, I said pate choux!  I never guessed how versatile it could be and how simple and easy it would be to make my own churros.  

My recommendation is to invest in a big pastry star tip, which I didn't have.  We ended up just squeezing them out into the oil and they ended up looking short, squatty and a little warty (I'm a novice at this; I promise my second batch will be much more beautiful).  You know how something can be so homely it's cute?  These little 'churritos gorditos' despite their appearance, tasted just like I remembered.  Crispy and light on the outside and...just go make them!  Your family will love you for it and you'll be the most popular kid on your block!

P.S.  Thank you for this keeper, Luisa! 
P.S.S.  I know these aren't baked and this is a baking blog, but these were too good not to share...

What churros are supposed to look like.



What ours looked like, but don't be fooled (they were still wickedly good!).



See?  Happy camper.

Churros Recipe (via Luisa's Catering)

1 cup water
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
pinch of kosher salt

1/4 cup sugar for dusting
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

canola oil for frying


Bring the water, salt and butter to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, add the flour and stir rapidly. The flour will absorb the water quickly and a dough will form and pull away from the sides. Keep stirring to continue cooking the flour and cook off some of the water, another minute or two. Transfer the paste to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or to a bowl if you're using a hand mixer. (If you want to mix the eggs directly into the dough in the pot, let it cool slightly, 4 or 5 minutes, or cool off the pan itself by running cold water over its base if you will be mixing the eggs in that pot. You don’t want to cook the eggs too quickly.)

Add the eggs one at a time mixing rapidly until each is combined into the paste. The paste will go from shiny to furry, slippery to sticky as the egg is incorporated. The pâte a choux can be cooked immediately at this point or refrigerated for up to a day until ready to use.

Spoon mixture into cake decorators' tube with large star tip (like the kind use to decorate cakes). Squeeze 4-inch strips of dough into hot oil (350 degrees). Fry 3 or 4 strips at a time until golden brown, turning once, about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. (Mix Sugar and the optional cinnamon); roll churros in sugar or dump the sugar on the pile of churros, like the pros.

Note: REAL churros in Spain are made without cinnamon mixed with the sugar, but the cinnamon adds an extra nice flavor.

Posted by Dawn.