Chocolate Choux Pastry / Chocolate Cream Puffs

Chocolate Choux pastry

1. Preheat oven to 400°F / 204°C.
2. Measure out all the ingredients.
3. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together and set aside in a small bowl.
4. Place the salt, water, sugar, and butter in a saucepan, and heat over medium heat, while stirring occasionally. Make sure that the butter, salt, and sugar melt before the water comes to a boil.
5. When the water comes to a boil, remove the pot from the heat and immediately add the cocoa powder and flour mix, in one go. Vigorously mix in the flour mixture so that it absorbs all of the water (use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to do this). When the flour has absorbed the water and it's forming a dough, return the pan to the stove (medium heat).
6. Cook the dough for about 1 minute (over medium heat) while mixing and moving it around in the pan, until you get a dough that pulls away from the sides of the pan and resembles dry mashed potato. You should also notice a dough film formed at the bottom of the pan. The cook time will vary depending on your stove, and pot size.
7. Transfer the dough into a bowl and let it cool down slightly for a few minutes.
8. Lightly whisk one egg in a small bowl and add it to the dough. Mix it well into the dough until thoroughly mixed in. Then add the second and third egg, mixing in the second well before adding the third.
9. Now whisk the final egg, and add it in increments, until you get the right consistency. This is a crucial step, so take care not to add too much egg as this will result in flat/deflated puffs.
10. The correct dough consistency is when the dough has a sheen to it, and has pipeable consistency, and the dough will form a “V” shape at the end of your spatula when lifted from the bowl. You may or may not use up all of the four eggs. This is why the fourth egg is added in increments.
11. Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper.
12. Pipe the desired shape onto the baking sheet – either using a piping bag fitted with a large tip (I use Wilton 1A, or you can cut the pastry bag opening instead). Then with a damp finger, flatten the apex and any sharp points on the dough mounds. Make sure to leave at least 1 - 1.5 inches between the piped mounds.
13. Bake in the oven preheated at 400°F / 204°C, for about 5 minutes.
14. Reduce the heat to 375°F / 190°C, and let the choux pastry cook for a further 20 minutes. DO NOT open the oven door during this step.
15. After 25 minutes of total cook time, the choux pastry shells should have puffed up. Quickly open the oven door and rotate the baking sheet. If you piped very large choux pastry mounds, then let them cook a little bit longer before opening the oven door.
16. Cook the choux puffs for another 5 minutes. At this stage, the choux pastries should have a hardened top. Quickly prick each of the cases with a toothpick.
17. Bake the choux pastry for another 3 - 5 minutes, to allow the pastries to dry out a little.
18. Remove from the oven, and prick the pastries one more time. Let the choux pastry cases cool completely in a draft-free area, preferably somewhere that is not cold.
19. Preheat the oven to 400°F / 204°C again for the next batch. Once preheated, pipe and bake the second tray of choux pastry.
20. Fill the choux cases with stabilized sweetened whipped cream as soon as they are at room temperature, and serve immediately. OR you can store cooled choux pastry shells in an air-tight container for up to one day. To store them for longer, keep in the freezer in an air-tight container.
21. You can either cut the top of the pastry and fill the bottom half with whipped cream, OR make a hole at the bottom of the shell and fill with a pastry bag.

Stabilized chantilly cream

1. In a small microwave-safe bowl, place the water, and sprinkle the gelatin over the surface of the water. Make sure all the gelatin is saturated with water, and then let it sit for at least 10 minutes to bloom.
2. In a large bowl, place the heavy cream, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, and salt. Stir to combine. Have it ready to be whisked with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer by the time the gelatin is ready.
3. After 10 minutes, microwave the gelatin in 10 second intervals to dissolve it. Do NOT let the gelatin mixture boil.
4. Stir in the 1 tbsp of cold cream or milk to temper the gelatin mixture.
5. Start whisking the heavy cream mixture on high speed, and add the gelatin mixture into it. Do NOT add the gelatin directly onto the whisk. Instead, add it where the cream is moving quickly due to whisking action. Alternatively, as soon as you add the gelatin, move the mixer around in the cream to make sure that the gelatin is mixed in well. The idea is to get the gelatin mixed into the cream as fast as possible, without it touching the whisk when added.
6. Lower the mixer speed to medium (or medium high), and whisk the heavy cream until you have stiff peaks. Keep a close eye on it since the cream can go from stiff peaks to broken in a matter of seconds.
7. Place the whipped chantilly cream in a large pastry bag, attached with a star tip (to create swirls), or with a round tip / bismarck tip (to fill).