Comments on: The Amazing Pate a Choux (Cream Puff Dough)

By: cooking book

cooking book — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Nice Post.. I love it…

By: Seattlejo

Seattlejo — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

I had a friend over for Bastille day and had decided to make the Gourges, but when at a loss for a side dish to go with poached chicken. In the end I doubled the dough recipe and made the gnocchi as a side sauteed in a little bacon and onion.

By: Abby

Abby — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Hey Michael, great ratio. I used the old one (http://blog.ruhlman.com/ruhlmancom/2009/01/pate-a-choux.html) yesterday and it didn’t puff but it still tasted great. However, I used the new ratio you posted and it’s puffing in the oven right now. It’s pretty exciting!

By: BigSis

BigSis — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

I am SO motivated and encouraged to think that I could make these, even though I’ve had a huge recent pastry failure that I dared to fess up to on my blog. I’ll do this though! Thanks for the simple and inspiring explanation!

By: Ben

Ben — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

hey, i was wondering if maybe there is a typo in the original post on pate a choux. Here, the post says to use 2:1:1:2 ratio of water, butter, flour, and eggs. However, it looked like the recipe from http://blog.ruhlman.com/ruhlmancom/2009/01/pate-a-choux.html gives a recipe with a ratio of 2:1:2:2. Perhaps I’ve just misread it? Any thoughts on this?

By: Nurit - 1 family. friendly. food.

Nurit - 1 family. friendly. food. — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

I terribly want to make these on Friday as cream puffs. It’s the cream filling that is usually disappointing. What’s a good vanilla cream recipe, thick and luscious?

By: comcast plus

comcast plus — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

I was thinking of trying to incporate something like garlic into the dough for essentially “garlic puffs”, but not sure how that would work. I think it would work if I incporated some mashed garlic paste into the dough, but not sure. Anyone ever try this? I’ve made Gourgeres a bunch before, they’re always a hit.

By: Nurit - 1 family. friendly. food.

Nurit - 1 family. friendly. food. — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

oh, yeah, and I made them with a spoon. My mother is not into cooking at all, so no gadgets in her kithcen at all.

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

My 5 year old daughter and I made the dough this weekend and I was amazed in the simplicity of it. We added sugar to the mix and then simply sprinkled them with powder sugar afterwards. My daughter got a kick out of calling it “Pot of Shoes” to our family.

I see the cheese suggestion to the recipe, but what about various herbs to the dough. Looking for some savory suggestions.

By: Hank Sawtelle

Hank Sawtelle — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Ruhlmanator,

I answered a PAC question in my Culinate column this week:

http://www.culinate.com/columns/ask_hank/making_p%C3%A2te_%C3%A0_choux

By: Bren

Bren — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Micheal, this reminds me so much of the way we make croquettes. it’s a very tedious and muscle engaging process of mixing and folding, to ultimately make a sticky dough… but so worth every single second of the work!

By: Nurit - 1 family. friendly. food.

Nurit - 1 family. friendly. food. — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Hey, I can post a comment! Finally! Hurray!!!!
I used to make cream puffs when I was in high school before sitting to learn for a test, and before I knew much about cooking, and always had success. (I think I was using a Time Life cookbook). Now that I know more about cooking and baking, I’m afraid of failure and don’t make them. I think I really should. Mabye this weekend. But filled with whipped cream… my favorite dessert EVER.

By: Vivien

Vivien — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

thanks for the pic, i always wonder what it means for the choux pastry to pull away from pan…:)

By: Abra

Abra — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Michael, I love the confit puff idea. Was there no bottom to the gougère, and if not, what kept the confit from falling out? Did you use a Silpat?

By: luis

luis — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

I hear you Milo. But don’t forget no matter how Ruhlman feels about splenda he has No objection to folks using the ratios. I mean that is the whole point of his book. Free the cook to do his/her thing.
Again your point is well taken. Don’t forget you don’t need to use splenda either, you can use a bit of honey you can use 25% of the sugar, or even use agave syrup…any number of things and I will tell you that to me it seems most food and liquor such as wine, beer, diet sodas, even coffee and yes all your salad greens are all acquired tastes… all your peppers , anchovies…need I go on? I remember dropping sugar a long time ago. I still use it for cooking but in coffee and other stuff…nope. Dropped it like it’s hot, almost overnight it seems. So the constant is the ratio. Other than that… its your kitchen for you to do what you will.
Ruhlman did creme anglaise, I tried to make vanilla ice cream with it but really screwed it up.
So rich.. However I make a coffee ice cream with half the fat and sugar and 2% milk that is to die for.
Has texture in place of the whipping cream and melts readilly in your mouth. Sure the purists want the whipping cream version of it. But I am happy with a product I can feel good about and eat more than one scoop at a time.

By: luis

luis — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Darcie, milk will give you a bigger rise than water…(like a pop over..). I think.

By: milo

milo — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

“Cooking from a working ratio is the way to go to avoid this sugar fat and salt addiction conundrum.”

You miss my point entirely. Working from a ratio for a dish that has a lot of butter avoids fat? Again, I’m 100% in favor of making things from scratch – I just think some people are delusional and think that making something from scratch somehow magically makes it healthy regardless of ingredients.

And I’d love to hear Michael’s reaction to the idea of cooking using his ratios but substituting Splenda.

By: luis

luis — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Milo, I see your point and the answer is..

When Ruhlman makes it from scratch he is showing us how using ratio’s works.

The RATIO is the key. I find some ingredients can be substituted for healthier facimilies.

This is why I love RATIO the book.

Sugar can be changed to splenda and you need less splenda at that.

Butter? well in your box is probably soybean oil,palm oil or some such. (With chemistry for artificially designed flavor by some food scientist). But I use REAL BUTTER for real flavor.

Eggs are eggs..fresh eggs God only knows what’s in your box? and how long is been there.
I don’t think there are any fresh eggs in your box.(So where is that fat coming from?)

Flour is flour. Fresh off the shelf flour.

So, I take your point, if you still load it with sugar fat and salt then what’s the point? but with a caution that when you do it from scratch using RATIO you do it your way. Salt.. Oh please, a two or three finger pinch if that much.

Milo the stakes are high.

Cooking from a working ratio is the way to go to avoid this sugar fat and salt addiction conundrum.

By: Darcie

Darcie — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Milo, sorry, I misinterpreted your point.

Back to my original question – we always used milk, not water, for pate a choux. Does anyone know what difference that may make, if any? We have always had success, but I wonder if there’s a big difference in taste or texture. I guess I can always make two batches (the sacrifices I make…)

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

I LOVED it when we did gougeres at the restaurant I used to work at. They are SO delicious and I was a little saddened to see them taken off the menu, although I decided to let them edge into the spotlight for a one night appearance as part of an amuse bouche.