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Neapolitan Cream Puffs

8 cream puffs
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword pastry
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 8
Author Christine Ma

Ingredients

Chocolate craquelin

  • ½ cup butter, cut into small pieces (113 grams)
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar (67 grams)
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour (74 grams)
  • pinch of salt
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (15 grams)

Cream puffs

  • ¼ cup butter (57 grams)
  • ½ cup water (125 ml)
  • pinch of salt
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour (74 grams)
  • 2 large eggs

Roasted strawberries

  • 1 pound strawberries, halved
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • pinch of salt

Vanilla custard

  • 2 cups milk (500 ml)
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup cornstarch (32 grams)
  • ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
  • 2 tablespoons butter (28 grams)

Instructions

  • Make the chocolate craquelin. Use a food processor to pulse together butter with brown sugar just until combined. Add flour, a pinch of salt, vanilla, and cocoa powder, and pulse until combined. Shape the dough into a disc and place it between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll it out until ⅛-inch thick and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour or in the freezer for 30 minutes. Cut out 8 circles about 2 inches in diameter and keep the craquelin in the refrigerator until ready to use.
  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Make the cream puffs. Combine butter with water and a pinch of salt in a heavy saucepan. Heat over high heat and bring to a rolling boil. Lower the heat to low and add flour to the butter-water mixture. Beat with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together. Remove from heat and add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each egg before adding the next.
  • Drop dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet for a total of 8 cream puffs. Top the cream puffs with the chocolate craquelin and bake for 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown. The shells should sound hollow when done. Cool the shells completely on a wire rack.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Increase the oven temperature back to 425 degrees F. Toss strawberries with honey and a pinch of salt. Spread on a lined baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes or until softened and jammy. Let cool.
  • Make the vanilla custard. Heat milk and the seeds of 1 vanilla pod in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until simmering.
  • Whisk together 2 yolks and 1 egg with cornstarch and sugar in a large bowl. Slowly pour the hot milk into the yolk mixture in a stream, whisking constantly. Transfer mixture to saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring constantly. Cook until thick, about 6-7 minutes. Remove from heat and add butter. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve and cover with plastic wrap directly touching the surface. Let cool completely. Gently stir in the roasted strawberries.
  • Cut tops of the shells. Top the bottom halves with fresh sliced strawberries and fill each cream puff with the strawberry vanilla custard. Top with the top buns and serve.

Notes

You can prepare the custard, roasted strawberries, and cream puff shells the day before. Assemble cream puffs right before serving.
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