All About Choux: Sweet and Savory Puffed Treats, from Eclairs to Gougeres

Have you heard that cream puffs and éclairs are all the rage right now? The classic sweet treats, described by Larousse Gastronomique as “small pastries made with pâte à choux, filled with cream, and glazed with fondant,” have taken the pastry world by storm in the recent years.

While éclairs, cream puffs, and other puffed treats sure look impressive, the good news is that they’re totally doable at home. You simply need to learn one core technique: making pâte à choux. Mastering this single technique will allow you to create an array of sweet and savory treats, from éclairs to gougères.

In this class, I will teach you how to make pâte à choux, and then I’ll show you how to turn this one dough into chouquettes, cream puffs, profiteroles, éclairs, and gougères, or savory cheese puffs. Along the way, I’ll provide helpful tips to help you be successful on your first try, and demonstrate many variation ideas.

Skill level: This class is perfect for novice bakers who want to learn new skills as well as for experienced bakers who are looking for new ideas to impress their guests.

If you like the class, please make sure to give it a thumbs up or even better, write a short review. This will help other baking enthusiasts to discover the class--and encourage me to keep on recording video classes. Heartfelt thanks in advance! <3

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE GETTING STARTED

• You need to make the pastry cream first, preferably a day in advance, because it needs to cool down completely before you fill up the shells;
• Pastry shells can be baked in advance. Cool them down completely and store them in airtight containers, being very careful not to squash or flatten them out. They will keep for a couple of days, or you can freeze them for up to a month. To make the shells back to their freshly baked quality, reheat them in a 350°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes, and cool completely on a rack. Fill as required.
• Choux, éclairs, and filled gougères are at their very best the day they are filled, but you can keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to two days.
• Make sure to read all the notes I added to each video lesson (click the "View My Notes" in the upper right corner of the video section). You'll find lots of information and additional tips in there. 

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THE EQUIPMENT YOU NEED

Most of the equipment needed to make pâte à choux and puffed treats are basic kitchen items, but a few specialty accessories also come in handy. Here's the rundown:

• Stand mixer, or handheld mixer
• Mixing bowls
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Medium saucepan
• Glass measuring cup
• Whisk
• Silicone spatula
• Plastic wrap
• Parchment paper
• Baking sheets
• Large pastry bags
• Pastry tips: Plain size 6 (1/2 in), closed star-shaped size 6 (1/2 in), plain size 2 (1/4 in)
• To shape choux and gougères quickly and easily: ice cream scoops, medium (1 1/2 tbsp) or small (2 tsp) 
• Pearl sugar to make chouquettes: http://geni.us/idKK53

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PRINTABLE RECIPES AND TEMPLATES

• BASIC RECIPE: Pâte à Choux (Choux Pastry)
• FILLING RECIPES: Vanilla Pastry Cream and Variations (Chocolate, Coffee, Maple, Butterscotch)
• NEW! Printable Instructions for Shaping, Baking, and Filling Éclairs and Choux
• Glazes (Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate, Lemon, Maple-Coffee)
• Mix-and-Match Flavor Variations for Éclairs and Choux
• Gougères (Savory Cheese Puffs) + Flavor Variations
• Templates: Long Éclairs, Short Éclairs, Choux or Gougères

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND RECIPES FROM MY BLOG, FOODNOUVEAU.COM

• How to Make Éclairs
• How to Make Gougères {Cheese Puffs!}
• Kiwifruit, Lime, and Coconut Eclairs
• Apricot, Peach, and Passion Fruit Cream Puffs
• Rose Raspberry Fool Cream Puffs
• Champagne, Comté, and Fresh Thyme Gougères

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RECOMMENDED READS FOR PÂTE À CHOUX LOVERS

• Eclairs: Easy, Elegant and Modern Recipes, by Christophe Adam
• Modern Eclairs: and Other Sweet and Savory Puffs, by Jenny McCoy
• Mon Cher Eclair: And Other Beautiful Pastries, including Cream Puffs, Profiteroles, and Gougeres, by Charity Ferreira
• Patisserie at Home: Step-by-step recipes to help you master the art of French pastry, by Will Torrent
• The Art of French Pastry, by Jacquy Pfeiffer and Martha Rose Shulman

• 01 / All About Choux: An Introduction
• 02 / Crème pâtissière à la vanille (Vanilla Pastry Cream)
• 03 / Pâte à choux (Choux Pastry)
• 04 / Choux à la crème (Cream Puffs)
• 05 / Chouquettes
• 06 / Éclairs
• 07 / Gougères (Cheese Puffs)
• 08 / Final Thoughts: Let's Get Baking!