Pate a choux is used to make cream puffs and eclairs.
The names of some famous recipes can be puzzling when translated. A notable example is the French name "pate a choux" for the stiff batter that makes cream puffs and other delicacies. Translated literally, the name means cabbage paste or cabbage pastry. This is because to some long-forgotten pastry chef's eye, the pan of cream puffs resembled rows of little cabbages. The pastry itself is made of eggs, flour and butter, like many others, but the mixing technique is unusual.
Boiling Stage
In most forms of pastry, butter is dispersed through the mixture by layering it in the dough or cutting it into the flour until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Pate a choux uses an entirely different technique. The butter is melted in a pot of briskly boiling water or milk, instead. The rapidly boiling water disperses the butterfat evenly, in much the same way shaking a vinaigrette mixes the oil and vinegar together. When the flour is added to the pot, the tiny globules of butterfat will be incorporated evenly.
Stirring Stage
Once the water and butter are well mixed, remove the pot from the hot burner and add the flour all at once. Use a sturdy wooden spoon to stir the mixture vigorously until it comes together in a single mass of stiff dough. Turn your burner to low and return the saucepan to the heat. Keep it on low heat for three to five minutes, stirring continuously to keep the dough from sticking to the pot and scorching. This allows steam to escape, drying out the batter, which allows it to accept eggs more readily during the next step.
Egg Stage
Transfer your dough to a stand mixer or mixing bowl and let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes. It's quicker if you set your mixer to its slowest setting and have it work the dough as it cools. Once the dough is warm to the touch, turn the mixer to medium and begin adding eggs one at a time. Wait until each egg is fully absorbed into the dough before adding the next one. The will slowly change into a thick, glossy batter as you add the eggs.
Finishing the Batter
Once you've added the last egg, test the batter's consistency by spooning a small amount onto a piece of parchment or wax paper. It should be just stiff enough to hold its shape. Most recipes can take one or two additional eggs, which will make the shells lighter and crisper when they're baked. Once you're familiar with the recipe, add an extra egg to see if it improves the end result. If so, amend the recipe and make that a permanent part of the ingredients list.
Tags: cream puffs, boiling water, stiff dough