Sugar Fix

Barely 48 hours since arriving home from Paris and I was starting to have withdrawal symptoms. No, no, no - I'm not talking about missing Paris, well not yet. I've had a fantastic summer there, for sure, but towards the end of my stay there, I was miserably homesick and being home now makes me realize even more the wonderful priviledges we have in America, especially the great life we live in California. Having the experience of living in three different continents now, there's really no better place than this land of great opportunities where vast open spaces, convenience and consumerism, friendly customer service and ever-ready warm smiles avail in abundance. The only downside that I see now is a serious lack of these where I live:

I was already craving for a sugary treat, my daily routine this past summer in Paris but the closest French pastry shop - a decent one - is at least 50 miles away! How does one cure the ill?
But that's exactly one of the reasons why I went to pastry school, isn't it?

Chouquettes ("shoe-kets"). Sweet, sugary puffs with buttery rich flavor yet taste so light and airy that they could probably be on the list of Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig or any of those weight loss program meals. They were my favorite snack whilst living in Paris this summer, especially in-between classes. Each class can start at either one of these time slots: 8:30 am, 12:30pm, 3:30pm or 6:30pm and sometimes, we'd have back-to-back classes with a short 30-minute break in-between where I'd take a short walk to the closest supermarché and buy a bag of these puffs - a bag of 100 grams went for a little less than two Euros - then start popping these in Jardin d'Hiver, usually over a cup of espresso from the vending machine, sharing some with friends ocassionally when I was in a more generous mood, that is. With Hell's Kitchen training and more experience in making pâte à choux (cream puffs) under my belt now, it was easy to whip up a batch of about 40 or so of these little puffs in a jiffy, without even having to dust off my trusty Kitchen Aid stand mixer.

It felt somewhat strange to have all the counter space to work with, not having to worry about mistakingly using other students' utensils nor them taking mine, having hygienic, non-moldy kitchen sponges to clean with and sans that yelling, screaming, I'm-all-out-to-catch-your-mistake favorite Chef of mine. Such calm. Such bliss.

Chouquettes
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 1/4 cups flour
6 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
4 large eggs

Pearl or nibbed sugar for garnishing (you can get it online here)

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 305˚F. Line flat baking tray with parchment, lightly grease the tray so that the parchment adheres.
1. Add salt, sugar and butter to water and heat in a heavy-based pot. Bring to a boil.
2. Add in the flour all at once, stirring rigorously with a wooden spatula- do not use a whisk.
3.  Stir constantly,  removing the pot from the heat ocassionally if needed in order to ensure that the bottom does not burn.
4. Continue mixing until batter comes together to form a ball and pulls from the sides of the pot. Once you see a thin film forming on the sides of the pot, remove from heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl (or a stand mixer bowl if you're using one)
5. Continue stirring for couple minutes to cool down the dough.
6. Once the dough is not piping hot, add the eggs one by one, stirring constantly. It's important to wait for the dough to cool to avoid scrambling the eggs. The dough may become curdled initially but continue stirring and the batter will emulsify.
7. The batter is ready when its consistency is somewhat firm yet fluid enough to be piped from a pastry bag; lift up the wooden spatula and the batter should drop slowly. Depending on the size of the eggs, you may need less or add more than the recipe quantity. Another test to check the readiness is to place a wooden spoon into the batter and it should stand.
8. Place the batter into a pastry bag and using a medium-sized round piping tip, pipe little rounds of the batter on to the parchment lined baking tray.
9. Immediately sprinkle a generous amount of pearl sugar on to the choux rounds. Remove excess by tilting the baking tray back and forth (this is why it's important to ensure the parchment adheres to the tray). The excess nibbed sugar can be stored and re-used.
10. Bake at 300˚F for about 25 - 30 minutes, or until the puffs turn into a light golden color, removing humidity by slightly opening the oven door and constantly checking for moisture buildup the first 10-15 minutes in the oven. Once the chouquettes are ready, remove from baking tray and allow to cool on the parchment over a baking rack, if you can resist devouring these heavenly puffs before they cool, that is.