Cheesecake Cream Puffs
When I first moved to Paris in 2015, I was bombarded with pastries and confections I didn’t knew existed, flavors I hadn’t heard of, and even fruits I had never seen. It was awesome, but it also made me feel like I knew nothing about pâtisserie even though I had been working in kitchens for 3 years prior in the pastry department. Frankly, I didn’t know much, and I still learn new things every day. It’s one of the best parts of baking.
Instead of beating myself up about my lack of expertise I decided to get to work and start eating as much as possible. I ate weird giant meringues called merveilleux (probably my least favorite dessert). I tried the fanciest macarons that honestly weren’t that great — just very pretty. I had pastries from the iconic pâtissier Cedric Grolet right before his fruit pastries went viral; he was only doing simpler miniature versions at the time. I had so many incredible desserts that unfortunately some of them have been lost in the void that is my memory. But those initial feelings of “this is my place and these are for me” never left, and still when I return to France I gawk at the latest offerings, rush to grab my old favorite croissant, and sometimes even wait in line for the new overrated pastry du jour just to say I finally had it and it wasn’t as good as it looked on Instagram. I’m not going to get into my life story right now, but let’s just say I did not grow up eating mille-feuilles or religeuses and that has made me all the more appreciative.
One of the first new pastries I had and loved was called choux à la crème. It’s made with choux pastry, the same dough that we use for eclairs and their savory cheesy siblings, gougères. I’m gonna share my recipe for basic choux, which we will top with a crunchy graham cracker flavored topping and then fill with whipped cream cheese and jam. Cheesecake vibes for the win!
Recipe Notes: The craquelin topping is very forgiving and can cover blemishes on your puffs, but you should still be sure to sift your flour when making the choux pastry to avoid any lumps. Feel free to use store-bought whipped cream and jam to make things easier! Ifyou don’t have graham crackers but still want to make these, just omit them and replace with 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour. There’s also a video demonstration of this recipe on my Instagram if you prefer!
graham cracker craquelin
1/4 cup (55g) butter, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons graham crackers, crushed fine
1/2 cup (75g) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Dash cinnamon
pâte à choux
1/3 cup whole milk
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons (42g) butter
2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
Big pinch kosher salt
3/4 cup (120g) all purpose flour, sifted
2 to 3 eggs*
whipped cream cheese filling
6oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
+ 1/4 to 1/2 cup of your favorite berry jam or fresh fruit
Make the craquelin topping: in a medium bowl combine the crushed graham crackers, brown sugar, all purpose flour, salt and cinnamon with a fork. Stir in the butter until the mixture comes together. Immediately place between two pieces of parchment paper and roll with a rolling pin to 1/4”. Place in freezer until ready to use.
Make the choux pastry: Make the choux: In a medium pot, combine the milk, water, butter, sugar, and salt. Heat over medium-low until the milk begins to simmer. Quickly whisk in the flour, then switch to a heat-proof spatula. Cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly, until a film collects on the bottom of the pot. If you swirl the pot around while holding the handle, the dough should form into a ball. Place the dough into a stand mixer and beat with a paddle attachment for 3 minutes or until steam is gone (but the mixture is still warm-ish). Add eggs one at a time and allow each to fully incorporate, stopping and scraping the bottom of the bowl as needed. After adding 2 eggs use the stretch test (demo’d here in my IGTV video). If your pastry doesn’t stretch at least an inch, you may need another egg (or maybe even half of one — whisk it together and add gradually). The choux should be smooth and shiny when finished. Place in a piping bag fitted with a round tip and proceed to pipe.
To assemble: in a stand mixer, whip together the cream cheese (it needs to be completely softened to avoid lumps!), heavy cream and powdered sugar until it holds medium peaks. Place in a piping bag and chill until ready to serve. Slice the puffs in half hamburger style and pipe a good amount of whipped cream on the bottom portion of each. Top the cream with berry jam (I used cherry!) or even your favorite fruit or macerated berries. Best eaten immediately, but will last in the fridge for a few hours!
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