Recipe from Smith’s Chef Jeff Jackson
Ingredients
For the pastry: For the filling:
1 c. water 1 ¼ c. + ¼ c. milk
6tbsp. butter ¼ c. cornstarch
1 c. flour ¼ c. + ¼ c. sugar
4 lg. eggs 1/3 c. butter, softened
1/8 tsp. kosher salt 1 c. heavy cream
For the icing: 1 tsp. vanilla extract
¾ c. chocolate chips
½ c. heavy cream
Directions
1. Make the pastry by first preheating your oven to 400. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. In a medium pot add the water, butter and salt and bring to a boil. Use a whisk to mix in the flour until you get a thick batter with no lumps. Remove the pot from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Use a hand mixer to mix in one of the eggs until fully incorporated. Repeat with the remaining eggs one at a time.
2. Place the finished batter into a pastry bag with a 1-inch tip or cut a half inch off the corner of a zip bag. Pipe the batter into 1 inch thick by 4 inches long lines of dough onto the parchment paper leaving 1 inches of space between each. Place in the oven to bake for 12 minutes. Without opening the oven door, turn the heat down to 340 and then continue to bake another 10-15 minutes or until they are a light golden brown. Cool them on a wire rack.
3. As the pastries cook and cool, make the filling by dissolving the cornstarch in ¼ c. of the milk. Set aside. Add the rest of the milk to a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until small bubbles start to form around the edges of the pan. Add ¼ c. of the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Slowly bring it to a boil. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until it thickens. Remove it from the heat to cool almost completely.
4. In a bowl using a hand mixer, mix the butter with the other ¼ c. of sugar and vanilla about 4-5 minutes or until the mixture turns very pale, almost white. Mix in with the thickened milk mixture until fully combined. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the filling mixture. Place the mixture in a piping bag with a half inch tip.
5. Use a small knife to cut 3 small openings along the top of each pastry. Use the piping bag to fill each pastry with the cream filling. Make the icing by placing the cream and chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl. Place them in the microwave and cook on high for 30 second intervals stirring each time until smooth. Pour the chocolate icing into a shallow dish and then dip the top cut side of each pastry into to the icing to cover. Let the chocolate set and then serve and enjoy!
