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June 17, 2008

Tuesdays With Dorie - Peppermint Cream Puff Ring

Here we go...my first TWD.

I've been looking forward to baking since I came across TWD entries on other blogs and now it's my turn to join in the fun. This week's recipe, Peppermint Cream Puff Ring) was chosen by Caroline of A Consuming Passion. I still have not received my book so I scrounged up a recipe on epicurious.com. (Edited to add -- The book arrived in the mail today. It's wonderful.)

I originally planned to just watch the action this week and start the action next week since I don't have the cookbook yet, but excitement got the better of me and Saturday night found me at Kroger buying the ingredients I didn't have on hand.



Ingredients needed:

Pastry
  • water
  • whole milk
  • unsalted butter
  • sugar
  • salt
  • flour
  • eggs
Peppermint cream
  • heavy whipping cream
  • fresh mint leaves
  • chilled crème fraîche or sour cream
  • sugar
  • peppermint extract (optional)
Glaze
  • bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • whipping cream
  • light corn syrup
  • sliced almonds, toasted
  • additional fresh mint leaves

I began by starting the peppermint cream. I boiled and steeped the cream and mint leaves and then chilled it overnight. In the morning, I strained the cream and whipped it. Then I folded in a mixture of sour cream (no crème fraîche at my Kroger) and sugar. The pale green tint from the mint leaves was a great color.

Instead of making the pastry in a ring shape, I chose to make individual puffs. I had a brunch to attend on Sunday morning and the puffs were easier to serve at the location of the party. To make the pastry I mixed the water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt and brought it to a boil. I then added the flour and stirred, continuing to cook the mixture for 2-3 minutes...long enough to dry it out a bit. Next, I put the mixture in my stand mixture and turned that on the lowest setting to stir for a few minutes (tip received from steph (whisk/spoon) and others at TWD). This allowed the steam to escape before I added the eggs. I always have a fear of adding eggs to hot mixtures and the tip to let steam out was a great one.



When all the eggs were mixed in, the dough was "silky and shiny." I used a piping bag to make the individual puffs on parchment paper and then baked them for about 15 minutes. When done, I turned off the oven, leaving the puffs inside. This helped them dry out completely and not be too eggy-tasting.

After filling each puff with the peppermint filling, I made chocolate glaze with bittersweet chocolate, corn syrup, and more cream. I drizzled this over half of my puffs, leaving some plain for the crazy people who don't like chocolate.



End notes:
  • Thank you to all the TWD people for the great welcome and inspiring blogs. I'm glad to be here with you.
  • The cream puffs were well-received at the brunch.
  • I would like to flavor the filling with raspberry, strawberry, or orange next time.
  • This was a fun recipe to make. I hadn't made cream puffs in a long time even though they are pretty simple.
  • I need to remember to take more pictures...and work on my photo techniques. The light in my kitchen is not favorable to good pictures.
  • "Baking: From My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan can be purchased here: Amazon
  • Tuesdays With Dorie site is here: TWD

17 comments:

Di said...

Your cream puffs look great. I went with individual puffs rather than a ring, too. Welcome to the group!

Engineer Baker said...

Welcome to TWD, and congrats on finishing your first recipe!

Unknown said...

Welcome to the group! Great job!

ostwestwind said...

Welcome to TWD, great looking puffs!

Ulrike from Küchenlatein

Susie Homemaker said...

Love the big puffs! I may try that size sometime! Welcome to TWD!

Jules Someone said...

There are people who don't like chocolate? Really? Your puffs came out beautifully! Welcome!

Anonymous said...

Welcome to TWD! Your puffs look great! :)

April said...

Welcome, good job on your first recipe!

Anonymous said...

Uh...hmmmm...I would be one of those "crazy people who don't like chocolate," LOL. You did a great job, and I like the idea of all the other flavors you want to try the next time.

And, yes, I get no end of grief for not caring for chocolate...no end to it. Why is THAT?

Jaime said...

your puffs look great! i agree that people who don't like chocolate are crazy! ;)

Prudy said...

Pretty puffs! Welcome!

Anonymous said...

Welcome to TWD! Get ready to start buying butter, eggs, and cream in bulk. ;)

Lisa T. said...

Welcome to the group. These are so cute - and they look delicious!

Rigby said...

Your cream puffs look beautiful. I like the way you piped them-- I just blopped mine on the pan.

Bungalow Barbara said...

Your puffs look beautiful -- I like that spiral piping technique you used. Welcome, have fun!

Jacque said...

I like the picture of the puffs before baking! and they look delish afterwards!

Dolores said...

Welcome to the world of TWD... what a fun assignment to start with. Your cream puffs are beautiful, and I'm glad your tasters enjoyed them. Great job!

Welcome