Raspberry Lemon Cream Puffs
A delicate, dainty, elegant puff with Raspberry cream and zesty lemon frosting. A summer, lighter version of the ever popular Cream Puff!
There is nothing wrong with pulling out a platter of beautifully appointed cream puffs or eclairs for any occasion, at any time of the year. But Spring? Surely the season can abide chocolate but something just a bit lighter, more colorful and Spring-like might make a refreshing change.
The choux puff doesn’t change. It should be dry and crunchy with a pocket of air in the middle just waiting to be filled with something delicious, surprising and perhaps a bit decadent. And something in this case was a raspberry curd, lightened with whipped cream.
The inimitable spark that lemon adds was a natural choice as raspberry and lemon are old friends and complement each other beautifully.
Have fun with the lemon frosting or glaze on top. Pipe it. Drizzle it. Spread it. A pinch of lemon zest to garnish makes us take notice and then a bite!
Raspberry Lemon Cream Puffs
For Choux Pastry Puffs:
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 whole eggs at room temperature
For Raspberry Creme:
6 tablespoons butter
2 6-ounce containers fresh raspberries
6 egg yolks, slightly beaten
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
pinch of salt
2/3 cups heavy or whipping cream
For Lemon Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 teaspoon lemon zest
pinch of salt, to taste
To make Choux Pastry:
-Bring the 1 cup water and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in flour and salt with wooden spoon over medium-high heat for about 1 minute, until mixture pulls from the sides of the pan and forms a ball.
-Turn mixture into an electric mixer and mix for 2 minutes to let off some of the heat. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each, (about 1 minute) until mixture is smooth.
-Spoon mixture by teaspoonsful onto an un-greased cookie sheet or pipe mixture from a pastry bag with a round tip into balls about the size of a golf ball.
-Bake in a 375 degree oven until puffed and golden, about 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven, poke a small hole in the side of each with the tip of a small knife and let cool.
-When puffs are completely cool, slice the top 1/3 off of each puff with a serrated knife, trying to keep the top attached to the puff.
To make Raspberry Creme:
-Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add raspberries, egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, zest and salt. Cook, stirring constantly over medium heat until curd coats the back of a spoon and thickens slightly, or right when you see the first bubble of a boil. 8 - 10 minutes.
-Place a fine mesh sieve, into a larger bowl and strain the raspberry curd through, mashing raspberries with the back of a spoon. Set aside to cool completely.
-Meanwhile, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add 3 tablespoons sugar and continue to beat to whipped peaks. Fold whipped cream into the cooled raspberry curd with a wire whip just until combined. Chill, covered until ready to use.
For Lemon Frosting:
-Cream butter with powdered sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Add lemon juice, cream, lemon zest and salt. Continue beating until frosting is very smooth.
To Assemble:
-Chill raspberry filling at least 1 hour. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a round tip with cold raspberry cream and pipe into cool puffs. (If you don’t have a pastry bag with the correct tip, you can slice the top 1/3 almost off each puff, trying to keep it attached.) Fill each puff cavity with a spoonful of raspberry cream.
-Place a whole fresh raspberry into the cream in the center of each puff. Replace the lids. Spread or pipe the frosting on to the top of each puff then zest a lemon over the filled and frosted puffs for garnish.
-Chill uncovered in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Do not cover as this will cause the puffs to loose their crunch. Makes 15 - 16 puffs.
Bake pate choux puffs until crispy and golden.
After cooking the raspberry curd, pour it through a sieve, pushing the pulp with a spoon to get out as much of the curd as possible.
Slice the top 1/3 off of each puff then fill with raspberry cream.
Place a fresh raspberry in the middle of the raspberry cream of each puff and replace the lid.
Frost each puff by piping a bit of frosting on the top of each. Garnish with lemon zest.
Spoon or spread frosting over the top of each puff, if preferred, then garnish with zest.
Serve Raspberry Lemon Cream puffs chilled for a beautiful, whimsical dessert!
PERSNICKETY NOTES:
-For a lighter, less-sweet puff, use this optional lemon glaze instead of the frosting. Once prepared, drizzle the glaze over the tops and down the sides of each puff.
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3 tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
3 teaspoons water
-Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl, mixing with a fork or whip until smooth and well combined. Let sit 10 - 15 minutes to thicken slightly.
