Oct 09, 2006
This was a very good, easy recipe - my only gripe (therefore 4 stars) is that I had to read all the reviews to get it right b/c the instructions were somewhat lacking. I added about 2 tsp of vanilla and 1 tblsp of sugar to the puff batter, and reduced the eggs to 3 b/c of reviewer's comments about the puff pastry being too eggy. I think 4 eggs would've been fine, too - I don't mind them being eggy or a bit on the light side flavor-wise since the custard is so sweet. But it's ESSENTIAL to poke a hole the last couple of mins of baking the puffs so they don't collapse. It's also ESSENTIAL to let the dough cool before adding eggs, otherwise the eggs will start "cooking" in the dough & not mix in. Also ESSENTIAL to beat in as much air as possible when mixing the eggs until the dough is a sticky, elasticky, "chewy" consistency. Maybe Shellie could add these important instructions into the recipe? While experienced bakers may know this as "common knowledge," a lot of new bakers may not. I made big ones and bite sized ones - even the big ones cooked through in about 25-28 mins. Just gotta poke that hole. To cut back on calories in the filling, I just made the pudding recipe as is, with fat-free milk. Was still delicious. I plan on making it with heavy cream for guests later this week.
—w