How to Fill Cream Puffs

Cream puffs and eclairs are made from the same type of pastry.

Cream puffs are one of the great desserts of the classic French canon. A well-made puff consists of a crisp, feather-light shell with a rich, cream-based filling, the contrast in textures providing much of the pleasure. Cream puffs are available frozen from most supermarkets, but they are best when filled just before eating. Fortunately, they are not difficult to make at home. Bake a batch of the pastries in a hot oven, and fill them when they are cooled with pastry cream, whipped cream, or a mixture of the two.

Things You'll Need

• Baked cream puff shells
• Paring knife with a sharp tip
• Either:
• Pastry cream or
• Sweetened whipped cream or
• Mixture of 1/2 Pastry cream and 1/2 sweetened whipped cream
• Pastry bag
• Round or star tip for pastry bag
• Powdered sugar
• Serrated knife
• Large spoon or spatula

Instructions

Traditional Method

1. Pick up the first baked shell and turn it over, so the flat base faces up. Pierce the bottom of the shell with the tip of the paring knife, and rotate it to create a small hole just large enough for the tip of the pastry bag. Repeat, until all the shells are prepared.

2. Prepare a pastry bag by inserting a small, plain round tip. Use a spoon or spatula to fill the bag with cream filling, no more than 2/3 full. Twist the pastry bag closed, and squeeze until any air bubbles are expelled.

3. Pick up a shell with your non-dominant hand. With your dominant hand, insert the tip of the pastry bag into the opening in the bottom. Gently squeeze cream filling into the cream puff until it begins to overflow. Wipe away any excess.

4. Repeat with remaining cream puffs, until all have been filled. Depending on the size of your pastry bag, you may need to refill it once or twice. Sift a dusting of powdered sugar over the cream puffs for decoration, and serve cold. The shells will remain crisp for two to four hours.

Split-Shell Method

1. Place a baked shell on its side. Cut with a serrated knife near the bottom, so you are left with a small base and a larger dome, approximately one third and two thirds of the shell respectively. Repeat for the remaining shells, laying them out on your work surface in lines of matched bases and lids.

2. Prepare your pastry bag with a star tip, and fill it as directed above. Pipe a large rosette of cream filling onto the first base, and top it with the dome. Press down lightly so the dome is held in place by the cream. Alternately, pipe the cream filling in vertical zigzags around the edge of the base, which creates a more professional appearance.

3. Repeat with the remaining split shells. It is generally most efficient to pipe all the fillings in place, then top the entire row of cream puffs at once. Decorate them with a sifting of powdered sugar, as directed above.

Tips & Warnings

• The classic filling for cream puffs is a stiff vanilla custard, known as pastry cream. Any other custard or pudding may be used as a variation, and the shells may be dipped in chocolate or caramel if desired.

• Use vanilla ice cream to fill the split shells, rather than the traditional cream filing.

• Decorate with a drizzle of chocolate or white chocolate, rather than powdered sugar, for an alternative presentation.

• Cream puff shells are thought to resemble tiny cabbages by the French, so this type of pastry is called "choux," the French word for cabbage.

• Pastry cream contains eggs, and may cause illness if it is left at room temperature for an extended period. Always keep pastry cream refrigerated until it is used, and discard any cream puffs that are not eaten after four hours at room temperature.

References

• "The Professional Pastry Chef, Fourth Edition"; Bo Friberg; 2002
• "Larousse Gastronomique: The Encyclopedia of Food, Wine and Cookery;" Prosper Montagne; English edition 1961
• Good Housekeeping: Cream Puffs with Dark Chocolate Sauce
• Epicurious: Cream Puffs with Lemon Cream Filling
• Epicurious: Pastry Cream