Pastry Puffs (with a gluten free version)

Submitted by Jim

I like this recipe because it has ingredients that you usually have on hand - butter, flour and eggs. This is the standard profiterole recipe that you find when making cream puffs or eclairs. You can fill them with custard (or instant pudding) and glaze them with chocolate frosting for the classic cream puff/eclair. You can also fill them with chicken, ham, shrimp or egg salad for appetizers. Another option is to toss a cup or two of cubed cheese into the batter and dust the puffs with Parmesan before baking. Give them a pretentious French sounding name and your friends will be impressed.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 1 cup flour
• 4 eggs

For a gluten free recipe substitute the flour with:

• 1 cup gluten free flour
• 1 teaspoon Xanthan gum

Both of these ingredients are available in mainstream supermarkets

Place the butter and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. As soon as the mixture boils, remove from heat. Stir until the butter is melted.

Add the flour all at once and stir with a fork until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.

Add the eggs one at a time, stirring with a fork until each egg is completely incorporated after each addition. This can be a workout for your forearms but it really shouldn't take all that long.

Drop in double tablespoonfulls onto baking sheets.

Bake until puffs inflate and begin to brown - about 25 minutes.

Reduce heat to 300 and bake for 30 more minutes or so. This allows the puffs to dry out inside which keeps them from collapsing when removed from the oven. To be sure that the puffs have set completely, remove one with a metal spatula and place it on a metal rack to cool. If it collapses, the puffs need to bake longer. You'll get a feel for this after you have tried this recipe a few times and you won't need to sacrifice as many puffs..

Remove baking sheets from the oven. With a metal spatula, carefully move the puffs to wire cooling racks. Cool for 20-40 minutes.

Split each puff with a fork or a knife and remove the soft partially baked pastry from the inside.

Fill with whatever you like and serve.

These work best when served shortly after baking. If left for too long they can get dry and crisp or gummy and soft depending on the humidity.

Note: If you use the gluten free substitution, the puffs won't smell good while they're baking. Don't let this worry you. It seems to be a feature of the gluten free ingredients. They will taste just as good as the traditional ones.