Teaching high school takes a lot of planning, but there are times that I do things on the spur of the moment that really add alot to the class. This is one of them. Today the students took a test and we started a new unit. I thought we needed something a little more interesting. This demo only took about 15 minutes of class time. While they were cooking the students took their test.
I have been making cream puffs since college. As a freshman I worked for the Family and Consumer Science Department Head. I thought I would be typing, grading essays that kind of thing, but that was not always the case. Thank goodness I loved to cook. She was in charge of every event that involved food. Not sit down meals, but everything else.
I left there knowing how to make every kind of cookie, sandwich, cheese straw, punch, and candy recipe. I loved it! It was so much fun and I learned a lot.
Here is one of the recipes that I made.
Cream puffs are very easy to make and will impress all your guests. You can fill them with pudding. I recommend you make it from scratch. It is much better than the instant that I used today, because of lack of time. Sweetened whipped cream would be an excellent choice, too. Let’s don’t leave out ICE CREAM. You could use that as a filling, too.
Since I am not a dessert person filling them with chicken or a seafood salad would be a hit. Or you could go all out and double the recipe and make one savory and one sweet. Whatever way you choose everyone is going to be impressed with your cooking skills.
My students now want to make these in class, but we don’t have time. We have to move on to more healthy choices. FRUITS and VEGETABLES
Here is the basic recipe that is found in every cookbook. Use your imagination and enjoy cooking!
Cream Puffs
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup margarine or butter
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
Heat oven to 400 – 425 degrees. In a medium saucepan, heat water and margarine to boiling. Take off heat add flour and salt all at once. Stir vigorously until mixture leaves the sides of pan in a smooth compact ball. Let mixture cool slightly. Stirring will help to cool the mixture quicker. Be careful not to add your eggs too soon or you will have scrambled eggs. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
Spoon onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Make 6 very large cream puffs or use a tablespoon and make 20 snack size. ( In the picture are snack size).
You can pipe these from a pastry tube using a large fluted tip.
Bake small cream puffs for about 30 minutes. Bake large ones for about 40 minutes.
Doneness is important. They will collapse if they are underbaked. ( That question was on our test today) To fill them slice the top third and remove the uncooked dough if there is any. Now you will be able to fill the Cream Puff. When you finish just replace the top.
They should be filled as close to serving time as possible to preserve their crispness.
Unfilled they can be frozen for 3 months.
Happy Cooking,
The Teacher Cooks
The Teacher Cooks 