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torquillThis was my second run at pâte a choux, made with the additional knowledge of several years of experimental gluten-free baking. It doesn't require any real tricks, just a decent recipe and Asian rice flour (which is very finely ground). And, to be honest, it's not difficult, especially if you have any sort of electric mixer. I've made waffles that were more complicated. Grip your courage, pull out your baking pans, and give it a shot... it's just a little milk, eggs, butter, and flour, after all. :)
This was pulled almost verbatim from a San Francisco Chronicle article on April 4, 2010, which explored the various uses of pâte a choux dough. I'm using the basic instructions with the recipe for profiteroles, and cutting it in half.
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp butter
a pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter)
1/2 cup rice flour
1 1/2 Tbsp tapioca starch
1 teaspoon sugar
2 large eggs, roughly room-temperature
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. (Don't skip this, you'll be sorry later!)
In a small saucepan, heat the milk, butter, and salt just to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the rice flour and tapioca starch. Mix well, until it turns quite firm (about 1 minute). Remove from heat.
Transfer dough to a mixer bowl (soak the pan). Add the sugar and one egg and mix at medium speed until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape the bowl and mix for another 30 seconds, then add the other egg and repeat. When it's smooth and satiny, scrape down the paddle and the bowl.
Line two baking pans with parchment paper, greased foil, or silicone baking mats.
If you have a piping bag and tip, use a medium round-hole tip and put the batter in. If you don't, you can improvise: either use a spoon (the finished result won't be quite as perfectly round, but who cares) or a zip-top sandwich bag (put a piece of tape across one corner on both sides, then cut the corner diagonally, about 1/4" across; fill, close, and squeeze gently to dispense).
Make round blobs about an inch apart -- these go almost straight up, so make them the diameter you want the finished puff to be. After every row or two, use a moist fingertip to pat down the tips. You'll get about 3 dozen 1" (bite-size) puffs, fewer if you make them two-bite puffs for profiteroles.
Bake at 425F for 10 minutes, then take the heat down to 350F and bake another 20-25 minutes. Keep an eye on them, and pull them out when evenly golden-brown. Allow them to cool completely. Store airtight for a day or freeze (again airtight) for a month. Revive them in a 250-degree oven for a few minutes, until just crisp.
To fill them, you can either split them open, or make a hole in the side to pipe things in. Traditional fillings are a ball of ice cream (profiteroles), whipped cream or custard (cream puffs or eclairs), lemon curd, chocolate mousse, cheese sauce, paté... they're pretty versatile, either sweet or savory. Dip the tops in chocolate if you like. Serve as close to immediately after filling as you can. Enjoy!
This was pulled almost verbatim from a San Francisco Chronicle article on April 4, 2010, which explored the various uses of pâte a choux dough. I'm using the basic instructions with the recipe for profiteroles, and cutting it in half.
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp butter
a pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter)
1/2 cup rice flour
1 1/2 Tbsp tapioca starch
1 teaspoon sugar
2 large eggs, roughly room-temperature
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. (Don't skip this, you'll be sorry later!)
In a small saucepan, heat the milk, butter, and salt just to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the rice flour and tapioca starch. Mix well, until it turns quite firm (about 1 minute). Remove from heat.
Transfer dough to a mixer bowl (soak the pan). Add the sugar and one egg and mix at medium speed until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape the bowl and mix for another 30 seconds, then add the other egg and repeat. When it's smooth and satiny, scrape down the paddle and the bowl.
Line two baking pans with parchment paper, greased foil, or silicone baking mats.
If you have a piping bag and tip, use a medium round-hole tip and put the batter in. If you don't, you can improvise: either use a spoon (the finished result won't be quite as perfectly round, but who cares) or a zip-top sandwich bag (put a piece of tape across one corner on both sides, then cut the corner diagonally, about 1/4" across; fill, close, and squeeze gently to dispense).
Make round blobs about an inch apart -- these go almost straight up, so make them the diameter you want the finished puff to be. After every row or two, use a moist fingertip to pat down the tips. You'll get about 3 dozen 1" (bite-size) puffs, fewer if you make them two-bite puffs for profiteroles.
Bake at 425F for 10 minutes, then take the heat down to 350F and bake another 20-25 minutes. Keep an eye on them, and pull them out when evenly golden-brown. Allow them to cool completely. Store airtight for a day or freeze (again airtight) for a month. Revive them in a 250-degree oven for a few minutes, until just crisp.
To fill them, you can either split them open, or make a hole in the side to pipe things in. Traditional fillings are a ball of ice cream (profiteroles), whipped cream or custard (cream puffs or eclairs), lemon curd, chocolate mousse, cheese sauce, paté... they're pretty versatile, either sweet or savory. Dip the tops in chocolate if you like. Serve as close to immediately after filling as you can. Enjoy!
