June 26, 2011, Saturday
Weather: Stormy
The
weather is not always sweet. Sometimes
it’s inclement-- stormy, rainy, floody.
Don’t let these negative definitions negatively define your meal. You don’t have to wait until the storm is
over. In the midst of a raging storm, you
can sweeten up the day with a gourmet twist.
The Rise of the Puffs
Who
says I have to stay in bed and sleep off the bad weather? While I am in a mid-sleep trance, my mind is
wandering on some sweet reverie. I would
love to have a slice of melty cream cheese cake from Century Park Snack Deli but
probably it is now inaccessible in the floody streets of Manila. Most of all, it’s far from Mandaluyong, and I
have no reason to drop by on a stormy Saturday!
And then I remember the patisserie’s cream puffs. Hmmm…that fine texture and not so sweet cream
filling of the French puffs. I slept
further but then all the sweet thoughts disturbed my spirit and I had to get
up. I have to bake my own cream puffs,
right now!
Maff's Creme Puffs |
I have mastered the recipe of the puffs.
The only occasional problem is to make the puffs rise. Sometimes they rise, and then like a pricked
balloon they deflate for some reason.
But then the puffs, just like plants, need some prompting. While the puffs are in the oven, I whispered
to them, “please rise”… Guess what, I’m successful today. My puffs proudly rose and they have that
crisp sound when tapped.
Maff’s
Crème Puffs
Puffs:
1
cup water
1
cup all purpose flour
½
cup butter
A
pinch of salt
½
tsp sugar
3
eggs (other recipes call for 4 eggs but
I reduce it to 3 because 4 eggs make the puffs taste more like egg nogs)
Filling:
1
cup milk or all purpose cream
½
cup sugar
¼
cup flour
1
tsp butter
2
egg yolks
1
tsp vanilla or almond extract
In
a pot, mix water, butter, salt and sugar until mixture boils. When butter is melted, put the flour and beat
until mixture forms a ball and leaves the sides of the pot. Remove from heat. The next step is important. Whispering won’t really make the puffs
rise. You have to cool down the dough
ball for at least 10 minutes or longer until you are convinced that it is cool
enough. Then put the eggs one by one,
beating the mixture well after each addition. After the 3rd egg,
your dough ball should be beautifully shiny.
Pre-heat
oven to 200 C (400F) for 10 minutes.
While oven is heating up, arrange mounds of the dough on ungreased
baking sheet, leaving at least 2 inches of space between the mounds. You can use spoon or a pastry bag to form the
mounds.
Bake
for 15 minutes at 200C (400F) and then for another 15 minutes at 175C
(350F). You can adjust baking time and
temperature by observing the color of the puffs, they should be golden brown
but not burnt. When puffs are done, let them cool down on the
oven racks or over the kitchen table. You
are successful with the puffs when they have that crisp sound when tapped. Cut the top of the puffs and put filling. If your puffs are not too hollow, you may
remove some of the insides before putting the filling.
For
the filling, bring to boil milk and sugar, beat with wooden spoon until sugar
is dissolved. Add butter and flavor
extract. Then add the flour. Beat until
mixture is smooth and thick. Remove from
heat. Cool down and add egg yolks. Beat until eggs are well-blended with the
mixture. Return to low heat for 2
minutes, be careful not to burn the mixture.
Remove from heat and cool down before filling the puffs.
After
filling up, sprinkle confectioner’s sugar over the puffs. Voila!
Crème puffs not from the patisserie but right from your own oven!
The Fall of the Chicken
For
dinner, my sister baked a large chicken.
It’s no sweat. In a baking dish, my
sister basted the whole chicken with butter, some herbs, onions, garlic and
seasoning. Then she surrounded the chicken with marble potatoes that were cut
into halves, quartered onions and large cloves of garlic. That’s all!
Then she baked the front side for 30 minutes at 175C (350F) or until
golden brown. She then flipped over the
back side and then baked for another 30 minutes at the same temperature.
The chicken that fell into our gastronomical pouches |
The
chicken is well-baked if it falls off the bone when sliced. The potatoes, onions and garlic serve as
side-dishes. The smell of this dish is irresistible
and the taste is very delectable. One
serving is not enough, especially with steaming hot rice.
So,
you don’t have to settle with a bad meal on a bad weather. Agree? Don't talk while your mouth is full, I know you agree.
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