Heavenly Cream Puffs

Guess what! Today, January 2nd, is National Cream Puff Day here in the U.S.! My dad loves cream puffs, so I figured it was my destiny to make cream puffs today! I chose a recipe I came across yesterday while Josh and I were browsing through the copy of Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook that Old St. Nick brought for me. These aren't your everyday, average cream puffs. Noooo, these little babies are topped with a little halo of heaven. A perfect circle of sweet, crunchy tart dough. It took almost all day to make all the components: pastry cream, tart dough, and pâte à choux. My tart dough cut-outs were just a little too small, so they browned before the choux was fully baked. The pastry cream is deeelicious. It's lightened up by some fresh whipped cream. The crunchy tart dough on top lends the perfect amount of that golden pastry flavor, as well as a burst of sweetness. Yum! I'm gonna go have another cream puff just as soon as I click "Publish Post!" What a great way to say "suck it" to the most common New Year's resolution!

Ingredients + my new cookbook stand...
PS: You gotta get that vanilla extract! Sooo good!! Whisking cornstarch and egg yolks for the pastry cream
Waiting for the pastry cream to thicken...
Mmmmm... butter makes it better!
Vanilla brains!
The tart dough
Making the pâte à choux
They remind me of short, chubby snowmen!
Pâte à choux topped with tart dough
Cooling.....
The finished cream puffs!
Well worth an entire day's work!!

Recipes from MarthaStewart.com and Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook
(I halved the recipes and got 14 puffs and just the right amount of pastry cream!)

Cream Puffs
Makes 3 dozen

All-purpose flour, for marking (I skipped this part)
Pâte à Choux (recipe follows)
1 cup granulated sugar, for sprinkling (You won't need 1 cup; I only used 3/4 cup and it was a lot)
1/2 recipe Tart Dough (recipe follows)
3/4 cup heavy cream
Pastry Cream (recipe follows)
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions
It doesn't say this anywhere, but here's the best way to take this on. Make your pastry cream first. It needs to chill for about 2 hours. As soon as you get the pastry cream in the fridge, get started on the tart dough. It also needs to chill for 2 hours. During the last half hour of the chilling process, go ahead and start the pâte à choux.
Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or with nonstick baking mats, such as Silpats. Dip a 2-inch round cookie cutter in flour, and mark circles 2 inches apart on prepared sheets. Transfer pate a choux to a pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch plain tip (such as an Ateco No. 808), and pipe puffs to fit in flour circles. Smooth peaks with a moistened finger, rounding tops to ensure even rising. Freeze pastry puffs on baking sheets until firm, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, sprinkle a clean work surface with 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and place tart dough on top of sugar, patting it into a round. Sprinkle another 1/2 cup sugar over dough, and roll to a scant 1/8-inch thick, coating both sides of dough with the sugar to keep it from sticking. Using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out 36 rounds, and place a round on top of each frozen puff. Return to freezer until firm, at least 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds.
Bake puffs until pale golden brown all over, 25 to 30 minutes (Mine took almost 35 minutes) . Let cool completely on baking sheets on wire racks. Puffs can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature overnight.
Put heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Whisk the pastry cream to soften. Working in 2 batches, fold whipped cream into pastry cream. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as an Ateco No. 806). Insert tip into bottom of each puff, and fill. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Cream puffs are best eaten within a few hours; refrigerate in an airtight container.

• Pastry Cream
  Makes about 2 1/2 cups
  
  2 cups whole milk
  1/2 cup sugar
  1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
  Pinch of salt
  4 large egg yolks
  1/4 cup cornstarch
  2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  
  Directions
  Bring milk, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla bean and seeds, and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
  Whisk egg yolks, cornstarch, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl. Whisking, slowly pour about 1/2 cup of hot milk mixture into yolk mixture. Slowly add remaining milk mixture until incorporated. Pour mixture back into the saucepan, and cook over medium-high heat, whisking, until it begins to bubble in center and registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; discard vanilla bean.
  (No need to dirty another bowl, but if you want you can follow this next direction) Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add butter; beat on medium speed until butter has melted and mixture has cooled, about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. Just before using, beat on low speed or whisk by hand until smooth.
  
• Tart Dough
  Makes enough for 3 dozen cream puffs (I dunno why it says this; You only need 1/2 this recipe)
  
  6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
  2 large egg yolks
  1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  1/4 teaspoon salt
  2 teaspoons heavy cream
  
  Directions
  Put butter and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolks, and mix until combined, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup flour, and mix just until flour is incorporated. Add remaining 3/4 cup flour, the salt, and cream; mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
  Shape dough into a disk; wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
  
• Pâte à Choux
  Makes enough for 3 dozen cream puffs
  
  1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  1 teaspoon sugar
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  4 large eggs, plus 1 large egg white
  
  Directions
  Bring butter, sugar, salt, and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, quickly stir in flour. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture pulls away from sides and a film forms on bottom of pan, about 3 minutes (It only took about 15 seconds for me) .
  Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until slightly cooled, about 1 minute. Raise speed to medium; add whole eggs, 1 at a time, until a soft peak forms when batter is touched with your finger. If peak does not form, lightly beat remaining egg white, and mix it into batter a little at a time until it does. Use immediately.