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Get the Recipe: Crème Brûlée Cream Puffs

Servings: 24 cream puffs
Author: Michelle Lopez
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Ingredients

For the Vanilla Custard Filling

    (makes 1 1/2 cups)

    • 1 cup whole milk
    • 4 egg yolks, at room temperature
    • 1/3 cup sugar
    • 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 vanilla pod
    • 1 1/2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

    For the Cream Puffs

      (makes around 24 cream puffs, but honestly I lost count?)

      • 1 tablespoon flour
      • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed until easy to handle (takes about 40 mins at room temperature)

      For the Burnt Sugar Topping

        (makes enough for 24 cream puffs, but again not sure)

        • 1/2 cup sugar

        Equipment

        • an ice bath (a large bowl filled with ice; a medium bowl should be able to fit over the ice in the large bowl)
        • a 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter (similar to this one from Sur La Table)
        • a culinary squeeze bottle (similar to this one from Sur La Table)
        • Wilton's No. 230 "Bismarck" Round Decorating Tip
        • wax paper

        Instructions
         

        For the Vanilla Custard Filling

        • Heat 1 cup whole milk in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat just until warm.
        • In a separate bowl, whisk together the 4 egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon until slightly thickened and lighter in color.
        • Slowly pour half of the warm milk into the yolk mixture, whisking continuously.
        • Next, pour the milk and yolk mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and thickly coats the back of a spoon. The mixture should get to the consistency of heavy whipping cream.
        • Set a bowl over an ice bath, then strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve over the bowl.
        • Split open your vanilla pod lengthwise, and use the tip of a sharp knife to scrape the seeds of the pod into the custard. Stir the vanilla beans into the custard, continuing to stir until the custard is cool.
        • Once the custard has cooled, stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons of Grand Marnier.
        • Once the Grand Marnier has been incorporated, over the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or until completely chilled.

        For the Puff Pastry Base

        • Preheat the oven to 400 (F).
        • Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface (I floured my work area with about 1 tablespoon of flour). Use a 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter to cut as many circles as you can from the pastry sheet.
        • Transfer the dough circles to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, setting them about 2 inches apart from one another.
        • Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove from baking sheets immediately and cool on a wire rack to cool completely.

        Assembling the Cream Puffs

        • When the vanilla custard filling is completely chilled and the pastry puffs are completely cooled, it's time to assemble the cream puffs. Use the Wilton No. 230 Bismarck tip to poke a hole on the side of each cream puff, making sure that the hole is deep enough, but doesn't go all the way through the pastry.
        • Once all of the pastry puffs are prepped, transfer the vanilla custard filling into the culinary squeeze bottle, using a liquid measuring cup with a spout. Use the culinary squeeze bottle to squirt a generous amount of custard (about 1 teaspoon's worth) into each pastry puff. Be careful not to squirt too much custard, however, since doing so will cause your cream puffs to leak custard sauce.
        • Set aside in the refrigerator while you make the burnt sugar topping.
        • Place 1/2 cup granulated sugar into a medium sized, heavy-bottomed pan and heat on medium heat until the sugar starts to melt. Be sure to stir the sugar with a heat-proof rubber spatula constantly, or the sugar will be in danger of melting unevenly. The melting process takes a good 15 minutes or so, so please be patient! You want the sugar to be completely liquid with the consistency of maple syrup. It should turn into a lovely golden amber when ready.
        • When the sugar is ready, decrease your stovetop's heat to its lowest setting and take out the filled cream puffs from the fridge. Moving quickly, dip the top of each cream puff into the melted sugar, and set the non-dipped side on a sheet of wax paper to cool. Be careful since the sugar is very hot, and has a tendency to cool quickly! When the sugar cools, it will harden and give the cream puffs that brûléed texture we all know and love. No blowtorch needed!
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