Cream Puff Wreath
Choose from Vanilla, Chocolate or Lime Pastry Cream Fillings below:
Wreath
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup all purpose flour
4 large eggs
confectioners' sugar
Prepare filling of choice; cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease and flour large cookie sheet. Using
an 8" pie plate as a guide, with toothpick trace circle in flour on prepared
cookie sheet. Prepare wreath: In 3 quart saucepan, heat butter,salt, and 1 cup water to boiling over medium heat until butter melts. Remove saucepan from heat. With wooden spoon, vigorously stir in flour all at once until mixture forms ball and leaves side of pan. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until batter is smooth and satiny. Spoon batter into decorating bag fitted with 3/4 inch round tip (or large, self sealing, plastic bag with corner cut.) Using tracing as guide, pipe dough in a 1 inch thick ring just inside circle. Pipe second ring outside the first, making sure dough rings touch. With remaining dough, pipe third ring on top of center seam of first 2 rings. With moistened finger, gently smooth dough rings where ends meet. Bake wreath 20 minutes. Reset oven control to 375 degrees and bake 30-35 minutes longer or until golden.. Transfer wreath to wire rack to cool. With long serrated knife, slice cooled wreath horizontally in half; remove and discard moist dough from inside .Spoon or pipe filling into bottom of wreath. Replace top of wreath. Refrigerate up to two hours If not serving right away. To serve sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.
You can bake this wreath a few day ahead. Store cooled wreath in self sealing plastic bag. Recrisp in preheated 325 degree oven for 10 minutes. Cool before filling.
Vanilla Pastry Cream Filling
2 1/4 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
2/3 cup heavy or whipping cream
In 3 quart saucepan, heat 2 cups milk to boiling over high heat. Meanwhile,
in large bowl, with wire whisk, beat egg yolks, sugar and remaining 1/4 cup milk
until smooth; whisk in cornstarch and flour until combined. Gradually whisk
hot milk into egg yolk mixture. Return mixture to saucepan; cook over medium
high heat until mixture thickens and boils, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to
low and cook 2 minutes, whisking. Remove saucepan for heat, stir in vanilla and salt.
Pour pastry cream into pie plate or shallow dish. Press plastic wrap onto surface of
pastry cream to keep skin from forming as it cools, or overnight. When ready to use,
with mixer at medium speed, beat cream just until stiff peaks form.
With wire whisk, beat pastry cream to loosen. Whisk half of whipped cream into pastry
cream, then with rubber spatula, fold in remaining whipped cream.
Chocolate Pastry Cream Filling
Prepare Vanilla Pastry Cream as above except melt 3
ounces semi sweet chocolate, add with vanilla , stirring well, until combined.
Lime Pastry Cream Filling
Prepare Vanilla Pastry Cream as above except increase cornstarch to 1/3 cup
Omit vanilla and replace with the 1 1/2 tsp of grated lime rind and 1/3 cup lime juice.