Choux pastry (custard puff)

To begin with this long overdue post, I'm going to post the recipe of the choux I made this week.
After contemplating the idea of making this dessert over and over, I finally grasp enough courage to go ahead with the idea. Thank you Masterchef- I now know how to make choux and it is hard to believe how easy it is. So this was my first time making choux pastry and I am extremely happy to say that it was a successful attempt. You know how baking slightly bends towards the trial and error path, so either it is good or a disaster. What a relief to find out that your pastry rose and turn out to be the way it is meant to be! Alright my choux were not uniform and all that, but they taste wonderful. I made custard instead of creme patissiere as the filling (I keep this for next time). Note: Some recipes ask for both water and milk in the dough, but I figured there is already enough butter in it, so I used the water based recipe and to be honest it was definitely good- who needs milk!

RECIPE: CHOUX PASTRY

Makes: 15 choux

Ingredients:
55g cup unsalted butter (1 half stick; 57 g)
120 ml cup water (120 ml)
A pinch of salt
75g all-purpose flour
2 eggs

 Method:
1. In a saucepan, on medium heat, melt butter and water, pinch of salt.
2. Once the mixture comes to the boil, remove from heat and stir in the sifted flour all at once.
3. Whisk until well combined.
4. Put the pan back on the stove and continue stirring for another two minutes, until there is a film layer forming at the bottom of the pan.
5. Let the mixture cool for about 5 to 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 180 degrees (fan-forced)
6. Once cooled, crack in one egg at a time, incorporating well each time.
7. Your choux pastry is now ready. Put filling in a piping bag and pipe on baking paper.
8. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until puff and golden.
9. Once out of the oven, poke a small hole at the bottom of each choux using a pointed knife.
This will release any excess air inside and also be useful for inserting the filling later.
10. Pipe your filling until it comes out (this is how you know the puff is full).
Dip the top with chocolate if desired et voila:

Custard tart

I made those custard tarts out of lack of original idea. I do have some 'blank' moments. I used the shortcrust pastry to make the crust and cooked the custard using custard powder. This is actually easy to make. I thought it looked like an egg tart and if you do think about it, this could  actually be a 'so-called' egg tart. Personally I prefer the custard powder taste than the custard made from the egg yolks.

Custard and polenta pudding

Dessert time. Today I made a polenta and custard pudding. They are really easy to make. For the custard you simply follow the instructions on the packaging itself and for the polenta same procedure. The only exception for the polenta is to use milk instead of water, and add some vanilla essence and sugar per tasting. Done. This polenta pudding reminds me of my home country because this is quite a typical pudding, among so many else. We have semolina pudding, sago or even cassava. Greatly praised because they taste so good. I like the smoothness from the custard and the grainy texture from the polenta. You can top them off with coconut powder if you want to.

Deconstructed apple custard tart

I wanted to try something. I wanted to make an apple pie since ages. This has been laying at the back of my mind. Sadly I was not willing to make a whole pie because I was sure there would be leftovers. So the idea of making a deconstructed tart hooked me. This is so easy to make. Apple filling with custard. There is that crunchiness from the tart, the acidity and sweetness from the caramelised apple and creaminess from the custard. A perfect combination.