Choux Pastry Swans, Swan Pâte à Choux

This was the first time I made a dessert using pâte à choux (choux pastry) – that classy, elegant and extremely versatile pastry dough, which can be used for so many delightful and hard to refuse desserts – because it’s tasty, soft, airy and easy to make. And it looks wonderful onto the table. Usually associated with pastry cream, whipped cream and/or chocolate, the pâte à choux (choux pastry) can also be used to prepare lots of savory appetizers.

The technique of preparing choux pastry is based on blanching the flour into a boiling mixture of liquid, fats and salt and then incorporate eggs. Through baking process the choux grow very much in volume and they gain a honeycomb-like high porosity. This feature can be achieved by using a good quality wheat flour (high gluten content) and fresh eggs.

The choux pastry can be used for preparing profiteroles, eclairs, swans, Choux à la Crème, croquembouche, gougères and many other delicious pastry products.

These Choux Pastry Swans are graceful, elegant, fresh and delicious. Suitable for any occasion, including candy bars, they are a beautiful, dreamy and irresistible treat.

INGREDIENTS  Choux Pastry Swans, Swan Pâte à Choux

► For the choux pastry (pâte à choux)

• 125 ml water
• 125 ml whole milk
• 150 g butter, cubed
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 10 g powdered sugar
• 150 g cake flour
• 250 g eggs (4 large eggs)

► For the filling:

• 250 g cream cheese
• 125 g powdered sugar
• 300 g whipped cream

DIRECTIONS Choux Pastry Swans, Swan Pâte à Choux

► Preparing choux pastry (pâte à choux)

Preheat the oven at 190 Celsius. Prepare two baking trays and line them with baking paper.

Put water, milk, butter, salt and sugar into a medium-sized saucepan. Place the saucepan over a medium heat and stir constantly (with a wooden spoon) until the mixture comes up to the boil, the turn off the heat, add the flour (all at a time) and mix vigorously to homogenize. You will get a smooth ball of paste which leaves clean the sides of the saucepan.

Transfer the paste into a mxing bowl and mix at low speed for 1-2 minutes, until it cools down. Add one egg at a time, mixing well before adding another egg. The perfect choux pastry should have a semisolid consistency and looks like a flowing ribbon. When it reaches this consistency, do not add more eggs.

Take 2 tablespoon from the batter and place them into a piping bag with a small round tip attached (Wilton #2). Form swan necks onto one of the baking trays and bake until golden brown (about 5 minutes).

Put the remaining dough into a piping bag fitted with a large opened star tip and form the swan bodies onto the second baking tray, at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other. Dust with powdered sugar and bake into the oven (at 190 Celsius) for about 15 minutes.

Once completely cooled, cut the swan bodies lengthwise and then cut the top in two halves to form the wings. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the wings.

► Preparing the filling:

 Mix cream cheese with powdered sugar until sugar dissolves. Add whipped cream and incorporate it gently, from bottom to top, using a spatula. Put the filling into a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Fill the swan bodies, then decorate with the wings and neck.

Keep into the fridge until serving. These beauties should be consumed fresh (in the same day).