Cream puffs, profiteroles, buns or “windbags” as they are known in Germany, are an alternative form of “pastry”, known as choux pastry. “Choux” is French for cabbage, which is what the individual cream puffs were said to look like once baked.
The first record of this style of pastry dates back to the 13th century when they were a savoury dish filled with cheese and herbs. Over time, they made their way onto the dessert table filled with fresh whipped cream or sweet custard.
Using some of the rose flavoured honey from last weeks post and some lovely fresh local raspberries, I mixed up a batch for Sunday tea last week. Try using plain honey or vanilla or lemon sugar to flavour and sweeten the whipping cream if the rose infused honey is not an easy, pull off the shelf item.
You will need:
1/2 cup water
3 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup flour
pinch of salt
2 eggs. large
1 1/4 cups whipping cream
2 – 3 Tbsp. honey, rose flavoured
21 raspberries, 20 or 22 will do as well
2 -3 Tbsp. icing sugar
Allow your eyes to close. Fresh local fruit always brings appreciation to the forefront for me. Hold gratitude for the harvest in your focus along with the intention for these yummy treats. Open to the compassionate spirits and take a deep breath in. Hold for a moment and release, letting go of the nigglies that stand in the way of being in the present moment. Repeat if needed and begin.
Place the water in a small pot with the butter and bring to a boil. The butter should be melted by now.
Dump the flour into the boiling water all at once. Dump is the right word, tip the flour all at once into the water and stir vigorously.
Take the pot off the stove. The dough will thicken very quickly.
Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition.
It is the eggs that act as the leavening agent in this recipe and cause the puffs to puff in the oven.
It may take a little extra stirring to get the first egg mixed in. That is normal. The second will be easier.
I noted that the eggs are best large in 
the ingredient list above. If you are using extra large an extra tablespoon of flour might be needed to make a slightly stiffer batter.
On a parchment lined cookie tray, spoon the batter into six circles, keeping them as vertical as possible. The other option is to put the batter in a piping bag with a large tip and pipe the circles, moving around and up.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 350 and bake for an additional 20 – 25 minutes, to dry out the center.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool. The puffs will be crisp and will soften by the next day. Softer can make using a fork to cut the puffs easier but the crispness of the pastry combined with the creaminess of the center filling makes for a great sensation in your mouth.
While cooling, whip the whipping cream and add up to 3 tablespoons of rose flavoured honey to sweeten the cream. I prefer the rose flavour to be subtle and would probably put in no more than 2 tablespoons.
As always, your taste buds and mine may not agree.
Using a fork, press the fresh raspberries, releasing their juice and fold the entire mixture into the whipped cream.
When ready to serve, cut each ball in half. Divide the flavoured whipped cream between the profiteroles and top with the second half.
Transfer to a serving plate and dust with icing sugar. Serve in a reasonable time thereafter as the cream will also soften the choux pastry.
Love comes in many forms and both raspberries and roses hold connections to love and protection. Try these with that special someone or share with the people you hold dear. Enjoy!
Rose & Raspberry Profiteroles from My Kitchen Wand
