Creeppuffs Food

CLAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees Microwave butter and cream cheese for 1 minute. Remove and add clams. Split English muffins and cut each half into quarters. Place on cookie sheet. Add a dollop of cheese and butter mixture on top of each quarter. Freeze sheet for 1 hour. Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• For the pastry cream: Soak the gelatin sheets in 2 cups of water until soft.
• Combine the egg yolks, sugar and 1/2 cup of the heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, constantly stirring so the yolks do not cook. Remove from the heat, add the gelatin and stir until dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.
• Add the remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip to soft peaks. Gently mix into the cooled yolk mixture and chill overnight.
• For the pate a choux: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment.
• Bring the butter, sugar, salt and 1 cup of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from the heat. Quickly stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Return to medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture pulls away from the sides and a film forms on the bottom of the pan, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until slightly cooled, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and add the 4 whole eggs, 1 at a time, until a soft peak forms when the batter is touched with your finger. If a peak does not form after the 4 eggs, lightly beat the remaining egg white and mix it into the batter a little at a time until it does.
• Transfer the pate a choux to a pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch plain tip. Pipe the dough into 2-inch rounds about 1 inch apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Gently smooth the pointed peaks with a moistened finger, rounding the tops to ensure even rising. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 25 minutes. The profiteroles should feel light and airy. Transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.
• For the apple jam: Bring the sugar and 3 tablespoons of water to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally and brushing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush, until the mixture turns a deep amber color, about 4 minutes. Add the apples, vanilla bean and scraped seeds, if using, and stir to coat. Some of the caramel will seize, but that¿s okay because it¿s just going to melt down again. Reduce the heat to medium and stir occasionally to help the apples cook evenly and dissolve any pieces of caramel.
• Continue to cook until the apples are translucent and softened (some apples will hold their shape, but should still be softened), and most of the liquid has evaporated, 20 to 25 minutes. Add the lemon juice and stir to combine. If desired, break up any remaining larger pieces of apple with a wooden spoon for a smoother consistency. Discard the vanilla bean and store the apple jam in a glass jar or container in the refrigerator for up to one month.
• To serve: Transfer the pastry cream and apple jam to 2 separate pastry bags. Snip off the ends and pipe equal parts pastry cream and apple jam into each profiterole.

CREEP PUFFS

Steps:

• Boil the water and butter in a pot. As it begins to really boil, stir in the flour and salt. As you stir, the mixture will form into a ball. Move that to a mixing bowl and fold in a beaten egg one at a time - mixing between each one.
• Drop by the tablespoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet (non-stick is great too). Be sure to space them apart and place in a preheated, 425 degree oven. Bake until golden brown (about 20 minutes -- maybe longer). Let shells cool.
• When the shells are cool, using a pastry bag, fill the shells with Somebody's Mother's chocolate, caramel, or white chocolate sauces. To vary the recipe, you can fill the shells with ice cream and drizzle one or more of the sauces over the tops of the shells.

CRAQUELIN-TOPPED CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• To make the craquelin: Pulse the butter, sugar and salt in a food processor until just blended. Add the flour, and pulse until you have moist curds; pulse in the vanilla. Scrape the dough out onto the counter, and pull it together into a ball. Divide in half, shape each half into a disk and roll out each piece between parchment paper until it's about 1/8 to 1/16 inch thick. Freeze for at least 1 hour, and then cut into 1 3/4-to-2-inch-diameter rounds. Freeze until needed (always use frozen).
• Preheat the oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Have a small (2-teaspoon capacity) cookie scoop, spoon or a piping bag at hand.
• To make the puffs: Bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt just to a boil in a medium pan. Reduce the heat to low, add the flour all at once and start stirring like mad with a flexible spatula. Stir and mash the dough until it comes together and leaves a film on the bottom of the pan. Keep cooking and stirring nonstop for another 3 minutes to dry but not color it. Scrape the dough into the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or work with a hand mixer). Beat the dough for 2 minutes to cool it down a bit. Combine the eggs and white, stir with a fork to break them up and then add to the dough in three additions, beating on medium speed. Beat until the dough is satiny and runs off the beater smoothly.
• Scoop, spoon or pipe puffs that are about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, leaving about 2 inches between each puff. (At this point, you can freeze them and then, when they are solid, pack them in an airtight container. When you're ready to bake, arrange the frozen puffs on a lined baking sheet and keep them on the counter while you preheat the oven.) Place a frozen round of craquelin on each puff.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the baking sheets if needed, or until the tops are golden brown and crackled. The puffs will feel firm when gently squeezed and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Transfer them to racks, and cool to room temperature.