How to Make: Fluffy Lemon Cream Puffs

Warm winter cookies are out, and light airy desserts are in. Spring into this season with a tasty dessert of lemon cream puffs. The zestiness of the lemon and the lightness of the puff create the perfect treat to embrace this season. One tip is to make your pastry cream a day beforehand; that way there is less rush to finish it while your puffs cool and you can enjoy the fruits of your labor without the time crunch.

Serving Size: 20-30 puffs

For Pate Au Choux

1 Cup Water

½ Cup Butter (one stick)

1 Teaspoon Sugar

½ Teaspoon Salt

1 Cup All-Purpose Flour

4 Large Eggs

For Pastry Cream

3 Cups Milk

1 Cup Sugar

½ Cup All-Purpose Flour

½ Teaspoon Salt

4 Egg yolks

2 Teaspoon Vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest (around one large lemon)

4 Tablespoon Lemon Juice (around one large lemon)

Additional

Confectioner Sugar (for dusting)

20-30 Raspberries

Pate Au Choux

Preheat Oven to 425°F.

Crack 4 eggs into a small bowl. Set aside.

Combine 1 cup water, ½ cup butter, 1 teaspoon sugar, and ½ teaspoon of salt in a medium sized saucepan. Over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

Add flour and stir constantly till a dough ball starts to form and a white film coats the pan. Stir for another 1-2 minutes.

Transfer the dough into a mixing bowl, the dough will be sticky.  Mix on medium high speed to cool dough down. Dough will be ready when the mixing bowl is hot but not warm to touch.

Reduce mixer speed to medium-low and add eggs one at a time. Mix each egg until it is fully incorporated before adding the next egg. As each egg is mixed in, the dough will look shiny, then slippery, then sticky again.

When all eggs have been added, increase mixer speed to medium and beat until dough is cooled. You can stop mixing when the dough hangs from the paddle or beaters without falling off.

Spoon dough into piping bag (or large gallon sized bag). If using large gallon sized bag squeeze the dough toward the bottom corner and snip off the tip of the bag about ¼” of the tip. Pipe onto a parchment-lined baking sheet little puffs, keeping the puffs two inches apart.

Use your finger to press down the little peaks at the top of the pile of dough.

Bake at 425°F for 25 minutes, until puffed, golden and crisp. Do not open the oven before puffs are done it will cause them to deflate.

Let puffs sit for 5 minutes then poke a hole with a toothpick in each. Let the puffs sit until completely cooled.

Pastry Cream

Place 3 cups milk and 1 tablespoon lemon zest in heavy-bottom saucepan until wisps of steam appears. Cover and set aside.

In a heatproof bowl, whisk 1 cup sugar, ½ cup all-purpose flour, and ½ teaspoon salt together. Add 4 egg yolks and whisk until combined. Texture does not matter; just make sure it is completely combined.

Gradually add hot milk (plus lemon zest), a little at a time, whisking constantly.

Pour mixture back into saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture begins to boil and thicken, about 7-10 minutes.

Remove saucepan from heat. Pour sauce through a fine-mesh sieve to catch any cooked egg and the lemon zest.

Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla and 4 tablespoons lemon juice.

Let cool to room temperature stirring occasionally. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, the plastic wrap touching the surface of the cream. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Completion of puffs

Spoon pastry cream into a piping bag. In each puff create an incision with the butter knife big enough to fit the tip of the piping bag.

Fill each puff with pastry cream, filling until the piping bag tip pops out.

Optional: Dust puffs with powdered sugar.

Serve and enjoy!