Choux à la crème is a French classic adored across the world and known under different names and variations depending on the country. I'm sharing with you the foolproof recipe for the classic choux pastry filled with delicious creme diplomate.
Preheat your oven to 190˚C (350˚F) and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan combine water, milk and butter with sugar and salt, then bring to a boil, making sure the butter has melted. After the mixture has reached the boiling point, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the flour, mixing quickly with a wooden spoon to combine and form a thick paste.
Return to heat and stirring constantly, cook for a couple of minutes to dry it. When it's done, it should clump into a ball and there will be a thin film on the bottom.
Transfer the dough to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on medium speed to cool it down before adding the eggs.
In a small bowl mix the eggs (230 g) using a whisk and then slowly pour it into the cooled dough in batches. Make sure all of it is thoroughly incorporated. At this point, you need to test the consistency of the batter. Dip the paddle attachment and pull it up. If the batter forms a loose "V" shape, then your choux pastry is done. If it's too stiff, beat another egg and add some to the batter.
Once your choux pastry is ready, put it in a large piping bag fitted with a round nozzle. I use Wilton 2A. Keeping your piping bag vertically, pipe little mounds approx. 3 cm in diameter. Leave room between each mound, because they will rise quite a lot once baked.
Bake in a preheated oven for approx. 30 to 35 minutes. Don't open the oven door, because choux buns could collapse. They're done when they're golden brown. Poke each one with a chopstick to help steam escape and place them on a cooling rack to cool completely.
To make vanilla cream filling:
In a medium sized saucepan, heat the milk just until boiling point. In the meantime, in a separate bowl, combine the egg yolks, egg, cornstarch, sugar and salt using a whisk.
Once the milk has reached scalding point, pour ⅔ of it to the egg mixture, in a slow and steady stream, whisking continuously so you don't cook the eggs. Once you tempered the egg mixture, return it to the saucepan with the remaining milk and continue cooking, whisking constantly, until it thickens.Cook for another 1-2 minutes to make sure there isn't any cornstarch aftertaste.
When it's done, add in the vanilla and butter and whisk until everything is combined, silky and smooth.Strain the pastry cream into a clean bowl through a sieve, to get rid of any cooked egg bits and lumps. Cover with cling film (plastic wrap) touching the surface to prevent skin forming. Let it cool at room temperature for about an hour, then place it in the fridge to cool completely.
Transfer the cold pastry cream to a mixing bowl (it will be stiff, gelatinous-like) and give it a mix with an electric hand mixer to make it creamy again.In a separate bowl, whisk the cold heavy cream to stiff peaks and add it to the pastry cream. Mix everything together at medium-high speed until fully combined and smooth.
To assemble:
Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the tops of the cream puffs, approx. ½ to ⅔ of the way up. Place the vanilla cream into a piping bag fitted with preferred nozzle and fill the bottom half. Cover with the top and sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.
They're the best eaten the same day. Keep them in the fridge before serving.