Cream Puffs with Caramel Glaze (aka Johnny Depps on a Plate)

Cream Puffs with Caramel Glaze (aka Johnny Depps on a Plate)

I got the name and inspiration for this dessert from Rainbow Sweets, a tiny bakery in Marshfield, Vermont. My family used to visit Vermont once a year and we'd drive for almost an hour just to have lunch there. The owner was probably one of the funniest people I've ever met. I very strongly remember that we'd walk in, he'd seat us, and then throw a bunch of silverware at us and shout "SET THE TABLE" to me or my sister. He'd then proceed to order for us because he knew what was best that day (spicy empanadas, creamy spinach pastries, buttery flatbread pizza- all made right there in the exposed kitchen). Once we were so full we couldn't move he'd bring out the desserts. Okay, I grew up twenty minutes away from Manhattan, and I have a mother who bakes everything from scratch, so no, I was not starved for good dessert in my childhood. But for some reason, I cannot for the life of me think of a time I had perfect pastries before Rainbow Sweets. For whatever reason, the five or six times we visited this bakery are the only times I vividly remember eating cream puffs until I learned to make them myself. Anyway, amidst the éclairs and Napoleons and chocolate soufflés there they were: the Johnny Depps on a Plate (while I'd like to take credit for the name, I cannot). Perfectly round cream puffs filled with the most incredible pastry cream covered in caramel. I don't know what exactly went into making them- the owner wouldn't say any more than obscure facts about Johnny Depp when I asked why they were so great. I've strongly considered moving to Marshfield to see if I can get a job at Rainbow Sweets in order to learn their secrets. I guess I still could do that if I had the chance. I tried my best to recreate this ridiculously incredible dessert and while I did not exactly succeed, I still made something pretty great. Try it out and see. Or better yet, go to Rainbow Sweets and get the real thing!

 Recipes adapted from the Williams Sonoma Baking book and The New York Times Magazine

Puffs (AKA Pâte à Choux)

- 8 tbsp. unsalted butter

- salt

- 1 cup flour

- 1 cup water (or milk)

- 4 eggs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the butter and a pinch of salt in a large saucepan on high. Add water or milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan (about 30 seconds). Remove the pan from the heat and add the eggs one at a time, beating well until smooth. After each egg addition the mixture will separate and looks horrible at first but keep beating and it'll get smooth and beautiful!

Scoop the dough into a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch tip (freezer bag with a corner cut off works too). Pipe dough onto the prepared pan: for bite-sized cream puffs, pipe a ball about 1 inch wide and 1 inch high; for large cream puffs, pipe about 1 1/2 inch wide and 1 1/2 inch high; for éclairs, pipe logs 3-4 inches long and 1 inch high. Bake until golden, 25-30 minutes for cream puffs and 35-40 minutes for éclairs. When finished baking, poke each puff with a sharp knife to let steam out and open the oven door, letting the pastries cool for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack and let cool completely. *Bonus recipe* at this point, it's incredibly easy to make profiteroles with ice cream- just slice the choux in half, fill the centers with a scoop of your favorite ice cream and drizzle with chocolate sauce. 

Pastry Cream

- 2/3 cup sugar

- 2 tbsp. cornstarch

- 2 tbsp. flour

- 2 tbsp. cornstarch

- 2 eggs

- Salt

- 2 cups cream, half-and-half, or whole milk

- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter

- 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine the sugar, flour, cornstarch and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs and cream. Over medium heat, whisk the egg mixture into the sugar mixture; whisk occasionally at first to get rid of lumps, then pretty much constantly until the mixture starts to boil and thickens, about 10 minutes. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently. The mixture is ready when it coats the back of a spoon and a line you draw with your finger through this coating holds its shape. Stir in the butter and vanilla, and strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer. Let cool to room temperature.

Caramel Glaze

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 1/3 cup half-and-half

- 3 tbsp. unsalted butter

- 1/4-1/2 cup powdered sugar

Place the brown sugar and butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan on medium heat. Slowly add the half-and-half and whisk constantly for three minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the powdered sugar until you've reached your desired consistency. Let cool.

Johnny Depps

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place a cooling rack on top. Using a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch tip or a freezer bag with the corner cut off, fill the choux with pastry cream. Roll each puff in the caramel glaze and place on the rack. Let the extra glaze drip off onto the rack. Top with a squirt of whipped cream if you want to get super crazy. 

If this looks yummy, you guys should all check out my blog!