Choux chooooooo...

I spent about 10 minutes listening to a friend describe how good her first try of the choux pastry was when she was testing some recipes. It got me thinking how excited I was when I discovered it first and how surprisingly easy it was to create the perfect cooked cream container. Well, isn't that really what they are? Honestly, the first time I tried to make cream puffs about ten years ago I didn't account for the "puff" of the cream puff. They came out about the size of small fists, but that's exactly what made me so excited about them --- you can stuff them with salad. That's right, I made chicken salad puffs. I have since figured out the growth ratio but am continuously in awe at this dough.

• 3/4 cup of water
• 6 tbsp of butter (unsalted)
• 4 eggs
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup of flour

Bring water, butter and salt mixture to a boil in a non-stick pot. Remove from stove and quickly add all the flour. Beat with a wooden spoon. Return to heat for enough time for the mixture to start coming together (30 seconds or so). Remove from heat and beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the sugar. The mixture should be consistent. Place the prepared dough into a pastry bag and pipe onto a greased cookie sheet. For cream puffs, it should be about one and half inches in diameter and about 3/4 of an inch in height. Place into a preheated 425F degree oven for 20 minutes and then lower the temp to 350F for another 20-30 minutes. The first cooking time helps them rise, the second helps them slowly dry without burning. Cool and fill with your favorite cream, I like vanilla pudding whipped with some heavy cream.