Raspberry Cream Puffs

That’s right. More raspberries. More decadent raspberries. As you might have noticed (thanks to the price tags on these babies), raspberries are a symbol of decadence–not basic nutrition.

Since they’re such a small, low-calorie food, hunter gatherers used to discard these.  They weren’t even cultivated until the sixteenth century (that’s pretty late in the game for food cultivation).  Even then, they were used for their medicinal qualities.  Like rhubarb, raspberries didn’t really make it to North America until the early 19th century, so again, I think we can call these some pretty revolutionary berries.

Still, I can’t believe they weren’t a favorite of the palate until so late in the game–these sweet and sour suckers are (and though I hate this phrase, I’m going to say it): nature’s freakin’ candy.

These cream puffs attempt to capture the essence of the sweet fruit and serve them in a way that is more commensurate with our modern palates: add some cream and sugar and stuff them in a light and buttery pastry.  Need I say more?

This is a great recipe, but I suggest plating this over chocolate, definitely chocolate. I’d melt some chocolate and create some flat rounds to serve these over so that each fork-full gets some chocolate, but that’s certainly up to you!

Raspberry Cream Puffs

Choux Pastry

• 1/2 cup flour
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 eggs, beaten

Cream Filling

• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup raspberries
• 4 tbsp powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 425. Sift flour and salt into a bowl.  Place water and butter in a saucepan and heat until melted.  Next, raise heat until the mixture boils and them remove from heat.  Add the flour and beat quickly until you have cohesive mixture (be sure not to overbeat or the mixture will become oily).  Leave the mixture to cool slightly.
2. Slowly add the beaten eggs a little bit at a time until the mixture is thick and shiny (you probably won’t need all of the egg).  Place in a pastry bag.
3. Dampen two parchment lined baking sheets with cold water. Pipe ping-pong ball sized onto the paper and bake immediately until choux is lightly browned (about 15-25 minutes). Set aside to cool.
4. Using a sieve, separate raspberry juice from seeds and set aside.
5. Whip cream until mixture holds soft peaks.  Add raspberry juice and sugar to taste; whip until you’ve got stiff peaks. Spoon into a pastry bag.
6. Punch a hole in the choux and fill choux with cream using pastry bag. Garnish with raspberry; serve and enjoy!