It may not have occurred to the powers that be that February, the month when Valentine’s Day takes place, is a terrible time for strawberries. And yet they’re everywhere around the holiday, presumably because of their ruby color and heart-like shape. Unfortunately, biting into an overpriced chocolate-dipped berry that’s bright white on the inside is not the stuff of great romance. These cream puffs solve the problem by spinning those classic flavors into a new dessert—one that can be made any time of year, thanks to strawberry ice cream and strawberry jam.
Pâte à choux is deceptively simple, even if it’s your first time. With no special equipment required, all you need are a few ingredients and the buns will puff up tall and golden. On the off chance yours do deflate, have no fear: These babies get cut in half, filled, and covered in chocolate, hiding any perceived imperfections.
Ingredients
2 servings
Dough
4
1
½
½
2
Filling and Assembly
¾
1
2
½
4
2
Preparation
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Dough
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 425°. Bring 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces, 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar, ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ¼ cup plus 3 Tbsp. water in a medium saucepan to a boil, stirring to encourage butter to melt, and sugar and salt to dissolve. Immediately reduce heat to medium-low and add ½ cup (63 g) all-purpose flour all at once. Stir gently with a wooden spoon until most of the flour is absorbed, then cook, stirring vigorously and breaking up pockets of flour as needed, until a thin film forms on bottom and sides of pan and dough comes together into a single mass, 2–3 minutes. (The dough should look glossy and feel buttery-slick to the touch.) Transfer dough to a small bowl and spread up the sides with spoon (this will encourage it to cool faster). Let sit until cooled slightly but still warm to the touch, 3–5 minutes.
Step 2
Pour half of 2 large eggs, room temperature, beaten to blend, into the center of bowl with dough. Using a fork, mix until combined, then add remaining egg and mix again to combine. Using a rubber spatula, scrape any dough from fork, then vigorously mix dough with spatula until very smooth, glossy, and a little stretchy (pull spatula vertically out of the dough; the dough should fall off the end in a V shape).
Step 3
Using a spoon, scoop out a generous amount of dough (you want about a quarter of the dough). Holding spoon perpendicular to a parchment-lined baking sheet, scrape dough off spoon with another spoon so it drops onto pan. Repeat with remaining dough to create 3 more cream puffs, leaving a generous space around each. Scrape out and evenly distribute any remaining bits of dough left in the bowl among puffs. Dip your index finger into a bowl of water and use it to gently pat down any pointy bits of dough (they will burn in the oven if not smoothed out).
Step 4
Bake cream puffs 10 minutes, then decrease oven temperature to 350° and continue to bake 15 minutes more. (Do not open the oven door at any point during baking.) Transfer to a wire rack and immediately poke a small hole into each cream puff with a skewer, chopstick, or paring knife to let the steam escape. Let cool.
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Filling and Assembly
Step 5
While the cream puffs are cooling, whisk ½ cup heavy cream and 1 tsp. powdered sugar in a small bowl until stiff peaks form. Cover and chill until ready to assemble cream puffs.
Step 6
Microwave 2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped, ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and remaining ¼ cup heavy cream in a microwave-proof bowl on high in 30-second bursts, stirring after each burst, until melted—be careful not to burn; it should look similar to hot fudge. (Alternatively, you can heat in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring, until melted. Do not let bowl touch water.) Set ganache aside.
Step 7
Using a serrated knife, gently slice 2 cream puffs in half through the equator. Place each on a plate and divide 4 Tbsp. strawberry jam between bottom halves of cream puffs; spread into an even layer. Place a generous scoop of strawberry ice cream on top of jam on each cream puff. Dollop whipped cream over ice cream (use as much or as little as you like), then close up cream puffs. Pour reserved warm ganache over each cream puff as desired and sprinkle each with half of 2 Tbsp. crushed freeze-dried strawberries if using.
Do Ahead: Dough can be formed 1 month ahead. Freeze cream puffs on a baking sheet until frozen, then transfer to a resealable plastic freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adjusting baking time to 15 minutes at 400° and 20 minutes at 350°. (You can also thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed).
