December 12, 2009 - 10:34am
Cream puffs
I am making cream puffs for a Christmas party tonight. Baked the puffs early this morning to save time. But I noticed the puffs a bit on the soft and pale side. Can I re-bake them to firm them up? If it's possible, what temperature and how long? Thanks in advance. Al
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Cream puffs are hygroscopic little rascals and they'll pull moisture right out of thin air. You can return them to the oven to remove some of the moisture. I usually set the oven at 300 degrees (f) and pop them in for a few minutes on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. But I do that just immediately prior to filling and serving them. Otherwise, they find the moisture that escaped during their visit to the oven.
you need to put the pate choux (eclair,cream puff dough) into the oven at 425 until they puff and gain alittle color then open the oven and set it to 375 so the insides get dry.
I assume you're only adding water to the dough, milk gives it color so you can use half water, half milk or you can do all milk.
Thanks flournwater & sicilianbaker! I did dry the puffs a bit before filling them for the event. They turned out pretty good. I used lemon cream filling and made them into a bunch of swans. The red sprinkles I used turned orange after sitting on the acidic cream for a while. Instead of looking Christmassy, they looked a bit weird. But they did taste good.
Here's an idea you might like..set them on a mirror, frost and decorate the edges with greenery to look like a pond seen.
Sylvia
I have seen that presentation and it sure looked very good. I couldn't find a mirror that I could use so I lined the long base with tin foil. But I guess I had too many swans on it so no reflections could be seen! LOL Al
I just pump extra cream in them to hold their shape, they don't hang around long enough to sag. qahtan
Wow, I can have one of yours now with a cup of hot chocolate. They sure look good! Al
;-)))))) sure can..... qahtan
you have to work with the chocolate until a certain temperature.. over a double boiler is the best way or you'll burn the chocolate. I think you temp the chocolate to 121 to give it that shine, this is what gives you the shine on the eclairs or the chocolate will look dull.
plus you can not freeze the empty shells when they get right out of the oven, let me cool first or they'll collaspe in the freezer.
Baking is all technique. I use cake flour and all purpose flour in my dough which gives the finished shell a soft feel rather than a hard one if you just use all purpose.
I follow professional pastry books and chefs plus I worked in a pastry shop when I was 12 and I did eclairs. you half dip the eclair shells, empty in the chocolate than spreading the chocolate on the shell. it gives it a more professional look and no excess chocolate is on the shell, it just drips back down into the bowl.