Pie and Pastry Bible (150 page)

UNDERSTANDING

Classic puff pastry made with only 4 turns, and 2 days old, or quick puff pastry is best for the least distortion.

The puff pastry needs to be very flat on top so you can attach the halo and spiral to it.

SAVORY CREAM PUFFS

T
hese delectable puffs are as round as golf balls, fine and crisp on the outside, and with an open but soft, herbal-flavored interior. The use of herbinfused oil or truffle oil in place of butter offers more flavor and a lighter texture compared to sweet classic cream puffs. Unlike the classic cream puffs, these puffs do not have an eggy taste. The flavorful oil, herbs, and garlic render them perfect containers for escargots (see page 547).

The puffs can be filled with a variety of savory fillings, using a pastry bag or cut in half and stuffed with lobster or chicken salad, but they are also delicious on their own with cocktails from champagne to martinis.

Instructions for this recipe and the two variations that follow begin on page 545.

WHITE TRUFFLE OIL VARIATION

I
f you adore the flavor of white truffle, as I do, these puffs will be special treat. The amount of white truffle oil used makes the fragrance not overly intense; rather, it perfumes the puffs with a mysterious but unmistakable taste. White truffle oil is available in tiny bottles, by mail order, from Balducci’s (see page 676). This smaller-quantity recipe makes just the right amount for a batch of escargot puffs (page 547).

MAKES: FOURTEEN TO SIXTEEN 2- BY 1¾-INCH-HIGH PUFFS; SERVES 4 AS AN APPETIZER
INGREDIENTS	MEASURE	WEIGHT
VOLUME	OUNCES	GRAMS
water	liquid cup	2.7 ounces	78 grams
safflower oil	2 tablespoons	•	•
white truffle oil	2 teaspoons
sugar	+ 1/16 teaspoon	•	2 grams
bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour	5 tablespoons cup (dip and sweep method)	• 1.66 ounces	• 47-3 grams
1 large egg + 1 large egg white	liquid cup (total)	approx. 2.75 ounces	80 grams
1 large clove garlic	•	•	•
salt	+ 1/16 teaspoon	•	3 grams
minced fresh thyme or teaspoon dried thyme	½ teaspoon	•	•
minced fresh parsley, preferably flat-leaf	½ teaspoon	•	•

SPICY CHEESE PUFF VARIATION

(Gougæres) (gooJAIR)

I
n Burgundy, these cream puffs are made with Gruyære cheese and baked in the form of a large ring. It is cut into slices and served cold to visitors in wine-tasting cellars, to accompany the wine. I usually form them as individual puffs and replace the Gruyære with Cheddar cheese. I also add chopped ham, a whisper of cayenne pepper, and fresh garlic for extra flavor.

These crisp, moist, and spicy puffs are delightful with cocktails from beer to red wine. The addition of ham and cheese to these puffs makes them more
dense than usual cream puff pastry, but using the extra egg whites and oil instead of butter gives them a smoother shape, finer crust, and less eggy, more delicious flavor.

MAKES: ABOUT FORTY-SIX 1¼INCH-HIGH PUFFS
INGREDIENTS	MEASURE	WEIGHT
VOLUME	OUNCES	GRAMS
water	1 liquid cup	8.3 ounces	236 grams
extra-virgin olive oil	liquid cup	2.5 ounces	72 grams
sugar	½ teaspoon	•	6 grams
breadflour or unbleached all-purpose flour	1 cup minus 1 tablespoon 1 cup (dip and sweep method)	• 5 ounces	• 142 grams
3 large eggs + 3 large egg whites	1 liquid cup (total)	8.5 ounces	240 grams
2 large cloves garlic	•	0.5 ounces	14 grams
salt	½ teaspoon	•	3.3 grams
optional: ham finely chopped	•	2 ounces	57 grams
sharp Cheddar cheese, finely grated	½ cup	2 ounces	57 grams
cayenne pepper	¼ teaspoon	•	•

EQUIPMENT (FOR ALL SAVORY PUFFS)

A cookie sheet or inverted half-size sheet pan and pastry bag and number 6 (½-inch) plain round tube

In a medium saucepan, combine the water, oil(s), and sugar and bring to a full rolling boil. Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and add the flour all at once. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball, leaves the sides of the pan, and clings slightly to the spoon. Return the pan to low heat and cook, stirring and mashing continuously, for about 3 minutes to cook the flour.

FOOD PROCESSOR METHOD

Without scraping the pan, transfer the mixture to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. With the feed tube open to allow steam to escape, process for 15 seconds. With the motor running, pour in the eggs all at once and continue processing for 30 seconds. The mixture will be smooth and shiny and it
should be too soft to hold peaks when lifted with a spoon. If it is too stiff, add a little extra water. On a cutting board, smash the garlic with the flat side of a large knife, sprinkle it with the salt to soften it, and chop until very fine. Add the garlic mixture and the thyme and parsley for white truffle puffs or the optional ham, the cheese, and cayenne pepper for gougæres to the dough mixture and pulse a few times until evenly incorporated.