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1 cup water
½ cup butter
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
4 eggs


Combine water and butter in a heavy saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until butter is melted and water comes to a boil.

Remove from heat and add the flour and salt all at once.

Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until mixture is smooth and leaves side of pan, and forms a ball around the spoon. If a ball does not form almost immediately, hold the saucepan over low heat and beat briskly a few seconds. Cool slightly.

Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until the mixture is smooth and glossy after each addition.

Drop the mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls or spoon pastry into icing bag with a 1-inch plain piping tube attached and pipe into desired shapes on a lightly-greased baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between the puffs to permit spreading.

Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven on shelf above center for 8 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 20 to 40 minutes longer, depending on size of puffs, until dry and browned, no bubbles of fat remain on the surface and the sides of the puffs feel rigid. Remove from baking sheet immediately and let cool on racks. Cut a cap off each puff and fill with pastry cream. Replace the cap and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

NOTE: You may use an electric mixer to beat in eggs.

ÉCLAIRS

Using a spoon or large round pastry tube, shape the cream puff mixture on a baking sheet to finger lengths. Bake, cool and slit each puff at the side. Fill with pastry cream and frost with melted chocolate or chocolate glaze.

BEIGNETS SOUFFLÉS

Flavor cream puff mixture with ¼ teaspoon orange extract or 1 tablespoon rum and drop by tablespoons into deep hot fat (370 F). Fry until brown on all sides. Serve hot, sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar.