How To Make Cream Puffs And Swans With Pate A Choux
A Glance At What's Happening On This Page...
- A Word Or Two - About Pate A Choux...
- Cream Puffs And Swans - Ingredients & Recipe
- How To Make "Pate A Choux" For Puffs Or Swans
- Good Basic Equipment Is Essential
- Finishing The Batter And Piping...
- The Baking Process Of Profiteroles, Cream Puffs And Swans
- Mixers, Disposable Pastry Bags, Tips, Etc.
- Assembly Of Cream Puffs
- Presentation Is Everything, Right?
- How To Make Cream Puff Swans...
- Dessert Sauces For Plate "Painting"
- My Favorite Pastry (And Pie) Recipe Book!
- May Google Feed Us Cream Puffs And Eclairs!
- How Populare Are Cream Puffs Here?
- Fancy Desserts On The Web
- Pastry Supplies On EBay Usually Means Good Deals!
- Some Of My Other Dessert Lenses...
- My best candy ever. Ever! Espresso Sea Salt Caramel Truffles
- Please Leave A Buck So Others May Eat, Too...
- Are You Going To Make Cream Puffs? Have A Better Recipe?
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A Word Or Two - About Pate A Choux...
It's French, but you knew that...
- "Choux" (French) means "cabbage", referring to the shape when the dough is piped on a sheet.
- Pate a choux is pronounced "pat ah shoe".
- Profiteroles are small spheres (cream puffs) filled with pastry cream.
- Cream puffs are larger than profiteroles, halved and filled with pastry cream (vanilla pudding/custard) and/or whipped cream. The top is usually dusted with powdered sugar and positioned like a "lid".
- Choux paste (pate a choux) is used to make profiteroles, cream puffs, swans, eclairs, and Gateau St. Honore.
Cream Puffs And Swans - Ingredients & Recipe
As usual - technique is more important than quantity...
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 large eggs
Yield: about 16 puffs, 5" by 1 3/4" high, or 15 - 20 "swans".
Let's do it!
How To Make "Pate A Choux" For Puffs Or Swans
The method!
In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter, sugar, and salt and bring to a rolling boil. Remove the pan from the heat and add all the flour at once. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mix comes together in a "ball" and off the sides of the pan. Return the pan to low heat and cook the flour "out" for about 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly so it won't stick to the bottom too badly. (Your pot will need a bit of soaking before you run it through the dishwasher.)





Let's (not) get mixed up!
Good Basic Equipment Is Essential
Do you need a good sauce pan and wooden spoons?
Finishing The Batter And Piping...
Cream puffs or swans - it's easy...
Beat the pate a choux in a mixer for a minute or so, to cool it off a bit before adding the eggs. Incorporate the eggs one at a time, until the batter is smooth and shiny. The whole process shouldn't take more than 2-3 minutes.




Now fill a (disposable) pastry bag half-full with pate a choux, and pipe 3-inch mounds on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, leaving a 2-inch space in between. Of course, you can make smaller puffs, too - for a higher yield. For swans, pipe an "S" shape. Create a "head with beak" by first increasing and then diminishing the pressure right before pulling off at the end. Use a round tip or star tip for this procedure.

The Baking Process Of Profiteroles, Cream Puffs And Swans
It's just a tiny bit tricky...
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F; bake your pastries for about 30 minutes to a rich golden brown. Keep the oven closed for at least 20 minutes before checking the first time.
Don't turn the oven off! Remove the sheet pan(s) and cut a 1/4-inch slit in the bottoms of the puffs (not the swan heads) to release some steam. Place the sheets back into the oven, turn OFF the heat and prop the oven door open with the handle of a wooden spoon. After about 10 minutes, close the oven door and let the puffs dry out completely for about an hour and a half, or so. The oven is turned off, right? Good.


Mixers, Disposable Pastry Bags, Tips, Etc.
To make cream puffs and a million other delicious things...
Assembly Of Cream Puffs
This is finger-licking fun!

Cut the tops off your puffs and dust them with powdered sugar. Or, drizzle chocolate over them. Or dip them in dark and/or white chocolate. Make a batch of pastry cream (creme patisserie) from scratch, or prepare a package of vanilla pudding for the filling. Top with whipped cream. Or use whipped cream only. Fill the puff bottoms and replace the lid. Voila! (You may serve a little ice cream on the side...

Can we make swans now?
Presentation Is Everything, Right?
We "eat" with our eyes...
How To Make Cream Puff Swans...
Expect "oohs" and "aahs" from your guests!
Cut the tops in half for a pair of "wings". Fill the bottoms with pastry cream and whipped cream, add the neck/head and the wings, and place the swan on a dessert plate - nicely "painted" with fruit sauces from squeeze bottles.






Dessert Sauces For Plate "Painting"
My Favorite Pastry (And Pie) Recipe Book!
My copy is pretty used up - need to get a new one soon...
The Pie and Pastry Bible
Amazon Price: $31.50 (as of 12/25/2009)![]()
List Price: $50.00
Used Price: $17.25
Learn how to make wonderful tarts, pies and pastries - with recipe descriptions that even a novice can follow. I've made melt-in-your-mouth scones and cream puffs from this book!
Release Date: 12/31/1969
Usually ships in 24 hours
May Google Feed Us Cream Puffs And Eclairs!
- Feedmysearch needs your opinion, help and advice
- Dear feedmysearch user, Feedmysearch would require some serious server upgrade and a bit of developm...
How Populare Are Cream Puffs Here?
How often do you serve them to your guests?
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Please Leave A Buck So Others May Eat, Too...
Are You Going To Make Cream Puffs? Have A Better Recipe?
Please let me know if you have any ideas or recommendations...
Thanks so much for visiting my page. Please give me a rating on top of the page. Happy "puffing"!
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Reply
- Pastiche Pastiche Nov 16, 2009 @ 2:57 pm
- I've made the puffs large and small, but never tried the swans - must add that to my holiday dessert list soon! I love to make a nice eclair, too, with this delicious dough. (Almost any pastry made with chocolate and cream snags me immediately!)
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Reply
- EelKat EelKat Apr 13, 2009 @ 1:59 pm
- I live in a French community, and there is a local chef here who makes these they are absolutely heavenly. Each one is a work of art. He only makes them on Wednesdays, and only makes about 10 a day, due to the fact that he makes each one by hand one at a time. So if you want to get one, you have to get to his bakery as soon as he makes them, because they rarely ever get to go on display, every one wants to buy one! I can't imagine a better food ever made. I can happily say, I've often been lucky enough to buy one. When I was a kid, my grandmother used to take me to his bakery every week to get one.
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Reply
- Susan52 Susan52 Mar 25, 2009 @ 7:36 am
- I have actually made cream puffs and they weren't hard to make at all! Never made swans, though, and yours look adorably delicious! Thanks for submitting this lens to my Easter Desserts lens plexo!
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- KimGiancaterino KimGiancaterino Feb 2, 2009 @ 10:55 pm
- These look delicious! Welcome to Culinary Favorites From A to Z.
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- rms rms Nov 18, 2008 @ 10:49 am
- Blessings and a note to let you know that this tasty lens is today's feature at www.cabaretsquidoo.com.
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Reply
- Nov 18, 2008 @ 8:19 am
- Wow, looks super delicious! Great big photos.
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- funwithtrains funwithtrains Nov 11, 2008 @ 4:41 pm
- You made me hungry! 5 stars and a Digg!
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- Lisa_Jo Lisa_Jo Nov 11, 2008 @ 12:41 am
- The swans look absolutely delicious. My mother-in-law is going to love this! Thank you so much for sharing. You have presented it beautifully. 5 stars and a Digg!
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- GramaBarb GramaBarb Nov 9, 2008 @ 1:53 pm
- WOW! impressive lens. I love the swans - what fun to make. 5*
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- Evelyn_Saenz Evelyn_Saenz Nov 9, 2008 @ 6:35 am
- Cream Puff Swans were one of the first fancy desserts that I made as a teen. They are relatively easy to make but I don't think I have made any since. Thank you for the inspiration. I think I'll make some with my kids.
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