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Browsing Tag: dessert
State Fair. What whimsy does that call to mind for you? First, I hear Templeton the Rat singing that obnoxious song in my head. But next, I remember all of the wonders, merrymaking, and smells of the Wisconsin State Fair.
We were always very methodical about it. We would get up at the crack of down, slather up in sun screen, and get there are soon as the gates opened. After picking up our coupon book, we would visit the animals in the barns. I always liked the cows the best. They’re so delicate for animals that weigh literally tons. When you look into their eyes, covered in the most beautiful, long lashes, it makes you almost reconsider hamburgers. Almost.
Then we went down the pig slide. To the “Oriental Market”, the name for the shops before Wisconsin got with the program and realized that was in bad taste. After picking up a fresh-shaken lemonade, I begrudgingly followed my eager mom to the pig races. I have never understood pig races. Just, why…?
Lunch was always a gyro from Eileen’s. Then the Kids from Wisconsin. When I was little, I dreamed of being one. The trade center, avoiding that creepy Smoky the Bear at the DNR exhibit and finally….
The Cream Puff.
It was always the last thing we got, and we ordered an extra to take home to dad. Now, truth be told, I’m not a huge fan of those cream puffs. It’s more the nostalgia that still makes me want one. They’re too sweet and as huge as your face. But there’s some kind of reminiscent satisfaction of getting cream on your nose that will never fade from my memory.
But that was years ago. Now, I live somewhere else. No more state fair. To try to relive the fun, my mom and I ran (well, I ran) in the Cream Puff 5k this summer. We posed with a live cream puff. It was pretty cool.
But it still doesn’t beat state fair and all of the weirdo people you see. So when you feel like running down memory lane or just need some good, ol’ fashioned, creamy deliciousness, whip up a batch of cream puffs. Be sure to get some on your nose.
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Cream puff pastry (pâte à choux) seems complicated, but it’s actually the easiest thing. And once you can make , your baking world is open to eclairs, profiteroles, and other such delights.
Step One.
One bite of this cream puff will take you to the state fair. Sweet whipped cream fills a delicate pastry for a nostalgic treat!
Ingredients
- 1 cup water (8 fl. oz)
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) (113 g) (4 oz)
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup all purpose flour, sifted (140 g)
- 4 eggs
- --
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (8 fl. oz)
- 2 Tbsp powdered sugar (16 g)
Instructions
- Prep Step! Measure out your ingredients for both recipes (pastry and cream). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Pour the cream into your mixing bowl and place in the fridge until ready to use.
- Bring the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium. Add the flour and mix in with a wooden spoon. Stir the flour in until it comes together in the middle of the pot. Remove from the heat source.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs one at a time (up until you have four eggs! Not the last one on the list!), making sure to mix them until they are full incorporated. When your pastry is ready, it should be glossy and look like a loose blob. If you pick it up, it should slowly drip down.
- Now, time to pipe! Put the dough into a piping bag (see tip above in blog post!). Cut off the bottom of the bag. In a circular motion, pipe the dough into little piles. If you want, pat down the top so that you do not have a tip.
- Mix the egg with 2 Tbsp water - this is an egg wash. This will make the pastry nice and glossy. Brush the tops of the puffs with the wash and immediately put them in the oven. Bake for 15 - 10 minutes, or until golden brown on the top!
- Now that your bowl and cream and nice and cold, add the powdered sugar. Starting on low speed, gradually increase the mixing speed to high (so that you don’t shoot sugar all over your kitchen). Once that speed is at high, beat the cream for about 5 minutes.
- Fit a piping bag with a star tip, and fill it up with the whipped cream.
- Let the puffs cool completely before you fill them - you don’t want the cream to melt! With a serrated knife, cut the puffs in half. Pipe a generous amount of cream into each puff. Dust the tops with powdered sugar.
- For the most kitschy state fair results, serve on a stick!
Door County is one of my favorite places in the world. Granted, there are many places that I have not been, but I’m sure it would still rank highly had I been to every country. There are multitudes of outdoor activities, orchards, great restaurants, quaint boutiques, everything wonderful.
There are two types of big orchards there – apple and cherry. Each season is a celebration and there are festivals, custom dishes, and special treats galore. We even saw a musical up there are cherry picking. Seriously, they’re way into this stuff.
So, whenever i go, I stock up on fruit. Recently, I was there right at the end of kirschen (German for cherry) season. Naturally, I got many cherry things, along with a pint of tart cherries. I like their puckery flavor, so of course I ate a few straight, but these are best for baking.
I can’t promise that this pie will be as amazing with cherries sourced elsewhere (ok, maybe that’s a bit dramatic), but it will still be a spoonful of happiness on a summer day.
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**Note – I only bought enough cherries for baby pies, but the recipe here will yield you a full pie.
Picture Note – I was not baking at home, and the only vodka on hand was citron. It did not seem to leave any flavor behind, but the crust was of a slightly different consistency because of the sugar. Use plain if possible.
Step One
Prep – but just the crust. I always stick the butter in the freezer for a few minutes to get super cold after I cut it. Mix the vodka and water, and put that in the freezer too.
….Vodka? I’m giving this to kids….
No worries! The alcohol part will be gone after you bake the crust. But why vodka? It gets a lot colder than water without freezing. The secret to great crust is the coldness of the ingredients when you mix them in. This ensures that your “wet” ingredient will be as cold as possible.
Step Two
Make your crust now – cut the butter into the dry ingredients, then mix in the vodka / water mix by Tablespoon-ful until your crust is just wet enough. DO NOT OVERWORK IT. It will get all tough and nasty when baked.
Wrap that bad boy in plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for an hour.
Step Three
Filling time. If you have a cherry pitter, use it. So much less work. But if you don’t, you can push them out with a straw or the tip of a pairing knife. It’s just a pain in the butt.
Add the sugar and cornstarch (pre-mixed) to the cherries.
Step Four
Roll out your pie crust to fit your pie plate. You can do whatever you want on the top – make a full cover, do a lattice, or get fancy and cut out some shapes.
Step Five
Add your filling – it should be a bit domed so that the pie looks nice and stuffed. Dot with up to a Tablespoon of butter and place your top on. You can seal it with a fork (dipped in water so that it doesn’t stick) or make the pretty pinches. Later on, I’ll add a demo of how to do this – so check back!
Step Six
Time to bake! Even though it’ll be tempting to dig in as soon as it’s out of the oven, let it cool for at least ten minutes. Brew a pot of coffee while you wait. Slice, top with ice cream, and enjoy!
Warm and juicy, this is a perfect pie for summer. Cherry pie is a classic!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (350 grams)
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 2/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) (226 g) (8 oz)
- 2 - 3 Tbsp ice cold water
- 2 - 3 Tbsp vodka
- 1 egg white mixed with 2 tsp water
- 4 cups pitted cherries
- 3/4 - 1 cup sugar (83 - 110 g)
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Prep Step! Measure out the ingredients for the pie crust. Mix the dry ingredients in a large
- mixing bowl. Cut each stick of butter in a 3 x 3 grid. Mix the water and vodka in a small bowl. Put the butter and liquid mix in the freezer for 5 - 10 minutes.
- Cut the butter into the dry mix using two forks or a pastry cutter.
- Mix in the liquid, one Tablespoon at a time, until the crust is just holding together as a dough. DO NOT OVERMIX.
- Gather the crust into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Pit the cherries, preferably using a cherry pitter. Mix the sugar and cornstarch. Cover the cherries with the mix and stir to coat.
- Roll out the pie crust to the size of your pie plate. Dump in the filling, and dot with butter. Cover with the crust in the method of your choice (full crust, lattice, shapes, etc). Brush the crust with the egg white and water mixture to make it nice and golden brown.
- You many want to protect the crust before you put it in the oven. Rip three rectangles of aluminum foil, about 3 in tall. Wrap around the edges of the crust so that they do not get burnt. Bake for 45 - 50 minutes.
- Let your kirschen pie cool for at least ten minutes, then top with ice cream. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk or a warm mug of coffee.
