Cream Puff

Ingredients

Pastry

• 1 cup (240ml) boiling water
• ½ cup (120g) shortening
• 1 cup (120g) flour
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

Filling

• 1 cup (240g) sugar
• ⅓ cup (80g) cornstarch
• ⅓ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 2 cups (480ml) scalded milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Procedure

Pastry

1. Heat water and shortening in saucepan until it boils up well.
2. Add all at once flour sifted with salt and stir vigorously.
3. Remove from heat as soon as mixed.
4. Cool, and mix in unbeaten eggs, one at a time.
5. Add baking powder; mix.
6. Drop by spoonfuls 1½ inches (4cm) apart on greased tin, shaping into circular form with spoon but keeping mixture higher in center.
7. Bake about 30 minutes in hot oven.
8. Cut with sharp knife near base to admit filling.

Filling

1. Mix dry ingredients (sugar, cornstarch and salt).
2. Add slightly beaten egg.
3. Stir into this gradually the scalded milk.
4. Cook about 15 minutes in double boiler, stirring constantly until thickened.
5. Cool slightly and add vanilla extract and whisk vigorously for creaminess.

Tips and variations

• Sweetened whipped cream may be used instead of this filling.
• Rather than cutting the pastries open, spoon the filling into a pastry bag, then inject it from the bottom.
• Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with semi-sweet chocolate