Cream Puffs with Filled with Eggnog Pastry Cream Recipe

EGGNOG PASTRY CREAM

¾ cup all purpose flour
3 cups refrigerated eggnog
7 egg yolks
1 ½ tbl. butter, softened
1 ½ tsp. rum extract
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

Place flour in a heavy saucepan, gradually whisk in eggnog until blended and smooth. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, whisking until just combined after each addition.

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until thickened (about 42 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in butter and extracts. Transfer pastry cream to a bowl. Cover surface with plastic wrap and chill 8 hours or overnight. (Pastry cream will be very thick).

CREAM PUFF SHELLS

1 ½ cups water
¾ cup butter
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
¼ tsp. salt
6 large eggs

White chocolate for dipping afterwards

Combine water and butter in a heavy saucepan, bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add flour and salt all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until mixture leaves sides of pan and form a smooth ball. Remove from the heat and place in a mixer. Mix this ball until cool, about 3-5 minutes. You will see steam venting out of your floured mixture. This is what you want to see.

Add eggs, 1 at a time (and I mean, 1 at a time.) I have ruined this recipe by adding eggs too close together. Only add the next egg after you see the first egg is thoroughly mixed. And the dough is smooth.

Drop cream puff paste by rounded teaspoons 2” apart onto ungreased baking sheets; then quickly smooth tops with the back of spoon or wet fingers to round puffs.

Bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400°, and switch positions of baking sheets. Bake 18 to 20 minutes more or until puffed and golden, switching position of baking sheets again halfway through baking. Turn off oven; let puffs stand in oven to dry 15 more minutes. Remove puffs to wire racks to cool completely.

Pipe Eggnog Pastry Cream through side of each cream puff, using pastry bag fitted with a long, narrow round tip (#10).

Melt white chocolate with a tablespoon of shortening in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat.

Dip the bottom of each cream puff, 1 at a time, into melted white chocolate and place of cookie sheet. Refrigerate.

This recipe came from Southern Living Book of Christmas. Page 299, although I changed this a little.