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For the cream puff shells?
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Preheat oven to 400 F. Set aside a large (12 or more) muffin tin but leave it un-greased.
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Bring water and butter to a rolling boil in a heavy saucepan. Then stir in flour over low heat, stirring until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Stir in eggs, one at a time, beating until dough is a smooth ball.
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Using a tablespoon, drop dough into the muffin tins. This doesn't have to be an exact measurement, but depending on how big you want your shells to be, we use generous tablespoons.
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Bake shells in the 400 F oven for 25 to 35 minutes or until puffed, golden brown and dry. It's important that the puffs are dry or they may collapse. Remove from oven and cool completely. The shells can be prepared the day before. Just cover with foil when completely cooled.
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Cook's note: You can just bake the shells on a baking sheet about three inches apart, but my smart aunt decided the muffin tins make a nice shape to hold the cream. Either method works, but the baking sheet method will produce a little flatter shaped shell.
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For the custard cream filling:
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Beat the eggs in a medium sized heat safe bowl. Set aside.
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Mix sugar, flour and salt in a saucepan. Stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and boil for one minute only. Remove pan from heat. Stir about half of the mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Then blend the egg mixture back into the remaining hot mixture in the saucepan. Bring just to a boil. Add vanilla and stir until combined. Remove from heat. Set aside.
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For the whipped cream:
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Whip your cream using electric beaters and add a dash or two of sugar and vanilla to your liking.
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For the assembly:
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Cut off the shell tops and fill puffs 2/3 full with the custard filling. Top generously with sweetened whipped cream. Replace top of puff and cover with sifted confectioners' sugar.
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Delicious!
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This recipe is adapted from a recipe in a local newspaper from the 1960's called Ingrid's Austrian Cream Puffs.
