Let’s talk choux pastry. First of all, isn’t it fun to say? It’s pronounced like “shoe” and even though it sounds the same as the things you wear on your feet, knowing it’s French just makes it that much better.
Choux is the dough that eclairs and cream puffs are made from. They’re light and airy and they puff up in the middle when you bake them leaving a pocket inside that’s perfect for all manner of fillings. Personally, I don’t think I’ve seen a choux pastry dessert that I don’t like. Cream puffs are one of my husband’s favorite desserts, provided they’re filled with whipped cream and not pastry cream. I don’t understand how he doesn’t like pastry cream but he’s a work in progress.
Just for fun, here’s a link to one of my favorite singers (Corrine Bailey Rae) and a sweet song about a choux pastry heart.
So, I tried this recipe several times without success. Even using the King Arthur recipe for their gluten-free flour, it didn’t work for me. The pastries collapsed each and every time. So, back to the kitchen I went.
I ended up adding some psyllium husk for a couple reasons – one, to add some color to the dough and two, to add some structure. It worked! The previous pastries were pale and flat. These pastries, baked at two different temperatures, rose well and retained their shape once they cooled. The psyllium husk helped to give it a warmer color and hold its shape.
Here’s some more information about using psyllium husk in gluten-free recipes.
For the filling, I stayed with the whipped cream recipe that my husband likes. One of these days maybe I’ll use a pastry cream for myself.
[tasty-recipe id=”5002″]