Choux Pastry (Cream Puffs, Eclairs and Savoury)

If heaven was a puff it would be a cream puff. Light and fluffy yet totally decadent. The basic pastry used in cream puff and eclairs is Choux pastry piped into different shapes. Since it's not sweet it's also delicious used in fancy party sandwiches stuffed with chicken salad. YUM! This will impress even the toughest critics.

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup flour
• 4 eggs

Preheat oven to 425F. Move your rack to the second from the bottom slot.

In a saucepan bring the butter and water to a rolling boil. Stir in the salt and flour until it all comes together. it will resemble playdo at this point.

Transfer to your mixer and beat in the eggs one at a time. Make sure each egg is completely incorporated before you add the next egg. Scoop the dough into a piping bag or a ziploc with the corner cut out. You want to be able to pipe a strip about 1" wide. Pipe the dough on an ungreased cookie sheet (use a high quality non stick one, your stained and battered old ones will cause the puffs to stick).

For round puffs: pipe the outline of the puff (approx the size of a golf ball)in a circular motion moving inward. For eclairs: pipe a long line about 2" thick and 5" long.

Bake approx 17 minutes until the puffs are golden brown and crisp. Allow to cool and fill with sweetened whipped cream or whatever stuffing you like.

*****Only stuff your puffs with filling or cream as you serve them or they will get soggy.

*****These puffs were really hard the next day. If you make them ahead of time I suggest you put them in an airtight tupperware or...even better, make them early the day you are going to serve them.

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