Dairy Free Giant Cream Puffs
Who would have imagined you could replicate the unmistakable flavors of cream puffs with 1/2 of the hassle? And moreover, without any butter?
Through numerous lab sessions in the kitchen, I had a sudden revelation: if popovers are physically leavened by steam, and if those oh-so decadent profiteroles are too, why not merge the two's textures and flavors together?
The rising phase of popovers mirror the same principle as that of choux pastry. However, most popovers lack the extra fat, as well as the distinct, eggy flavor and gaping bubble choux pastry carries. And thus, I decided to incorporate the best of both worlds-- the convenience and (relatively) healthier composition of popovers, and the egg flavors/tender, airiness of choux pastry, allowing for a GIANT, delicate, hollow puff that can be supplied with any filling of choice! I initially only used strawberry jam, but I would later adapt @Miss_Amy's vanilla custard recipe, whipping up a creamy, vibrant strawberry custard filling in its place (still just as delicious!)
Martha Stewart's recipe, of which I took inspiration from, and my chaotic kitchen concoctions gifted me one of the most tender, light popovers (aka giant puff con men) I have ever had! The exterior of the puff was crisp as it should be, but the interior was SO light, it feels as if it just melts in your mouth! If you know my blog well enough, you'd know that I absolutely love the underlying egg flavors enfolding subtly in baked goods, and these popovers for sure casted such tones you'd expect in a cream puff! To top it all off, these are dairy-free for all my lactose-intolerant friends!
Cuisine: American-French
Serving(s): 8 puffs
Level: Medium-Easy
Level: Medium-Easy
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients
For puffs:
For puffs:
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups almond milk
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 3 tablespoons of oil of choice (plus more for greasing tins)
For strawberry custard:
- 1 egg
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 cup fresh strawberries
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup sugar
Special Equipment:
- Muffin tin or popover pan
Instructions:
For strawberry custard:
For strawberry custard:
- In a large bowl, lightly beat egg until yolk and whites are just homogenized. Set aside.
- In a blender or food processor, blend together almond milk and strawberries. Transfer through a fine mesh strainer to remove any seeds and/or residuals.
- Transfer strawberry almond milk mixture into a saucepan on MEDIUM heat. Immediately add in sugar and cornstarch, and whisk continuously until almond milk begins to simmer, or when bubbles begin to appear.
- Once almond milk begins to simmer, immediately remove from heat. GRADUALLY stream in almond milk mixture into egg mixture, whisking continuously.
- Return mixture back into the saucepan on LOW heat, and whisk continuously until mixture thickens. If any strands of egg whites come about, you can transfer the custard through a fine mesh strainer. Store the custard in the refrigerator until further use.
For puffs:
- Preheat a generously greased muffin tin to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Whisk eggs until mixture is light yellow and/or frothy. Mix in almond milk, and set bowl aside.
- In separate bowl, add a tablespoon of oil into flour. Cut the oil into the flour, proceeding by each tablespoon of oil.
- Whisk together flour and egg mixture.
- Cover and let the mixture rest for 15-20 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Remove the muffin tin and immediately pour the mixture into each muffin well 3/4 of the way full.* Place muffin tin on a baking tray with some water to create a steamy water bath for your popover-puffs! Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until exterior is fully golden brown to dark brown.
- Remove from oven and immediately transfer puffs onto a cooling rack/surface.
- Serve immediately, with the piped strawberry custard or filling/condiment of choice. Puffs can be refrigerated in an airtight container for a maximum of 3 days, and frozen until further consumption.
Notes:
*tin must be hot during mixture-tin contact, in furtherance of heightened steam dispersal. Also, you may fill mixture to the top of the wells if you want some taller, crazier puffs-- just ensure that there is ample spacing between the popovers if using a muffin tin.
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