Custard Filled Choux Pastry

The basic recipe for this is callled pate a choux in French. Pate a choux can be used in so many ways such as profiteroles, croquembouche, eclairs, and many more.
Every single one of them has a story to tell; how they were made, why they were made in such a way, and in what occasions they were served.
I think this is one of the reasons why French are true gourmets. They just never stop exploring with food.

In Indonesia, choux pastry is called kue soes or soesen. A very popular hours d'oeuvre introduced by the Dutch during their period of colonization in East Indie.
While the original pate a choux usually filled with cream, koe soes is filled with custard, a blend of milk, egg yolks, sugar and a dash of flavouring thickened with heat.
The light, crispy shell of choux pastry combined with not-so-sweet custard, oh my, they just make a perfect couple.

In shaping the choux, I prefer using plain tip instead of shaping them like flowers with star tip. From what I experienced is, the choux dough will crackle and bloom more gorgeous that way, just like cabbages.
Choux pastry are suppose to look like cabbage (choux literally means cabbage in French), well that's what they say... But it really depends on your preference whichever you want to shape it.

The recipe is from old magazine of Femina. I am so used to the taste of this choux pastry. Although I tried many other recipes, I always come back to this one. It reminds me of my mom's baking.
The choice of flour used depends on own's preference. Many say high protein flour is better to make stiffer skin, the other -like myself- choose all purpose flour, since high protein flour leaves kinda 'sticky' taste to the tongue. But again, it's your call.

Kue Soes

For the skin:
200 ml water
150 gr margarine
125 gr flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs

Boil the water and the margarine in a pan. Lower the heat and put the flour and salt altogether. Stir with wooden spoon until the dough becomes thick.
Remove the pan from the stove and cool off the dough, or at least until the hot steam vanished.
Beat the eggs into the dough, one at a time with a mixer or whisk.

Pipe into shapes onto lightly greased pan.

Put the pan into pre-heated oven (oven must be at least 200C) and allow to bake for about 25 mins. And people...please.. do not, I repeat... do not open your oven door unless you want your choux deflated successfully -quite a drama queen, aren't I?

For the custard:

3 egg yolks

200 gr granulated sugar

750 cc milk

20 gr flour

80 gr cornstarch

1/2 tsp vanilla powder

Femina's method to make custard is a bit complicated. I never bother trying it. I usually whisk all the ingredients altogether until they are just incorporated and cook them in lower heat until thickened. Do not forget to stir, girl..

To serve

Cut the pastry in the middle and put in the custard with a spoon or triangle plastic.

Finally, bon appetite!