Pear and Maple Cream Puffs

by Andrea Tremblay-Legendre

These cream puffs have everything we want in a great dessert; crisp choux buns, caramelized pears and nicely sweet maple whipped cream!

Yields 12 cream puffs

Choux Paste:
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
3 eggs

  1. Preheat oven to 425F. Prepare a parchment lined baking sheet.
  2. In a small pot bring the water and butter up to a boil.
  3. Lower the heat to medium and add in the flour, all at once, and start to vigorously mix it in with a wooden spoon. When the dough mixture comes away from the sides of the pot you know its almost done. Keep mixing and let some of the moisture cook out, for about 2 minutes.
  4. Transfer the dough mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer and turn on low. Let it stir for a couple minutes to bring the temperature down.
  5. When it is slightly cooled add in the egg, one at a time, waiting for each egg to fully incorporate before adding the next one.
  6. Transfer the choux paste to a piping bag with a large round tip.
  7. Pipe 8 large round mounds on the parchment lined sheet pan (about 2 inches at the base) keeping them a couple inches apart.
  8. Dip your finger in water and press down any tips or bumps in the choux paste.
  9. Bake for 10 minutes at 425F and then lower the temp to 375F for another 10 minutes. After that lower the oven temperature further to 325F and bake for approximately another 25 minutes, until the cream puffs are evenly light brown and are light when lifted. You want them to be quite dry so they hold their shape, if in doubt bake them a little longer.
  10. Set aside to cool.

Caramelized pears
2 pears
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup maple syrup

  1. Cut the pears in small dices.
  2. Cook the pears, butter and maple syrup in a saucepan on medium heat for 15-20 minutes while stirring occasionally.
  3. Pour the pears over a sieve to collect the cooked maple sirup. Place the pears in a small bowl and the maple syrup in another bowl. Set aside.

Maple Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup maple syrup ( I'm using the maple syrup/butter mixture left over from the caramelized pears)

  1. Beat the cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
  2. Incorporate gradually the maple syrup while mixing the cream.
  3. Keep beating the cream until stiff peaks form.

To assemble

  1. Slice the choux paste puffs in half, about an inch up from the bottom.
  2. Divide the pear filling among the puffs and then generously pipe the maple whipped cream on top.
  3. Place the tops of the choux puffs over the cream puffs and dust with powdered sugar if desired.