A Down Home Visit – Fab Food & Cream Puff Recipe

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Last week, I made a short trip south to visit with my parents and a few friends.  A few days of fun and food with the people I love…in a place I still call home.

The bounties of my mom’s tomato garden.

Took several of these babies home with me.  Even though she’s only a few hours south of here, the growing season is slightly different and the tomatoes are running wild there.

My mom is a wonderful cook and aims to please anyone that comes to the table.

The night we arrived, she made enough food to feed the entire block.

Potato Salad!

Yes, my mom makes the prettiest deviled eggs for a regular ol’ dinner.

She was channeling Martha before Martha was Martha.

Oh and there were Cream Puffs too!  One of my faves.

Custard filled pastries covered in chocolate yumminess?  Heaven!

She uses a recipe from the Better Homes & Gardens Cook Book for the shells, but the filling and chocolate topping are all mom.  I’ve made these myself several times and they are much simpler to make than you would imagine…and usually a HUGE hit!

Cream Puffs

Shells (Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup four
• 4 eggs

In a medium saucepan combine water, butter, and salt. Bring to boiling. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball (see photo 1, above right). Remove from heat. Cool for 10 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition.  Drop 12 heaping tablespoons of dough onto a greased baking sheet. Bake in a 400 oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden. transfer cream puffs to a wire rack; cool.  Once completely cool, cut tops off each puff and fill each one with below custard.  Top with chocolate glaze (below) or sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Serve immediately.

Vanilla Filling

• 2 packages Dream Whip mix (found in the Jello aisle)
• 1 cup milk
• 2 small boxes vanilla pudding mix
• 1 3/4 milk

Using a hand mixer, beat Dream Whip and milk until stiff and set aside.  In a separate bowl, beat vanilla pudding mix and milk for 2 minutes, until thickened.  Fold into Dream Whip.  Keep refrigerated until you are ready to fill cream puffs.  ( use a pastry bag to fill them…a little less mess!)

Chocolate Glaze

• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 cups of powdered sugar
• HOT water

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.  Add a pinch of salt and the cocoa.  Mix well.  Mix in powdered sugar.  Add HOT water by the tablespoon until mixture reaches a glazing consistency.   Add more sugar if too thin, add hot water if too thick.  Drizzle over each cream puff before serving.

Hope you enjoyed my culinary Tour de Mamaw!  Happy cooking!

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