Make the Pastry Cream

1. Accumulate the weather.

   Put collectively an ice bathtub large adequate to hold a medium bowl.

2. Combine the milk and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until the mixture merely begins to boil.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the egg, egg yolk, the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt. Whisk by hand until pale, fluffy, and simple.

4. When the milk-sugar mixture begins to boil, slowly add it to the egg mixture in a thin, common stream whereas whisking continuously to cease cooking the eggs (this course of is called tempering).

5. Return the custard to the saucepan and whisk continuously over medium-low heat until it bubbles and thickens, 2 to 4 minutes. Take away the pan from the heat and proceed to whisk until simple, one different 1 to 2 minutes.

6. Strain the pastry cream by an outstanding mesh sieve and proper into a transparent bowl. This may increasingly take away any coagulated bits of egg.

7. Cowl the ground of the custard straight with plastic wrap to cease a pores and pores and skin from forming. Place the bowl into the prepared ice bathtub and let cool, about half-hour. Take away from the ice bathtub and refrigerate for a minimum of half-hour further, or until ready to utilize. Whereas the pastry cream cools, make the non-compulsory craquelin and the choux.

Make the Craquelin (if using):

1. Accumulate the weather.

2. Throughout the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar. Mix on medium velocity until gentle and fluffy, 2 to a few minutes.

3. Flip the mixer off, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add the flour and salt. Starting on low velocity shifting as a lot as medium, mix the dough until absolutely blended, about 1 minute.

4. Accumulate 2 objects of parchment paper (roughly 12 x 16 inches). Scrape the dough onto one sheet of parchment, place the other sheet on excessive, and roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch thick. Place the rolled sheet of dough on excessive of a sheet pan and refrigerate until ready to utilize. Within the meantime, make the choux.

Make the Choux:

1. Accumulate the weather.

   Place a rack inside the center of the oven and heat to 400 F.

2. In an enormous saucepan convey the water, butter, salt, and sugar to a boil over extreme heat.

3. Flip the heat off, add the flour, and stir until it comes collectively proper right into a ball, about 1 minute.

4. Return the pan to medium-high heat, stirring regularly until the mixture begins to look dry, 3 to 4 minutes. There have to be a thin film of dough on the bottom of the pan.

5. Add the dough to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the dough on medium velocity to relax barely, 1 to 2 minutes.

6. As quickly because the dough is cool, add the eggs individually until absolutely absorbed sooner than together with the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and proceed to mix until the dough is successfully blended, simple, and glossy.

7. Match a piping bag with a half inch circle tip (paying homage to Ateco tip #805). Fill the piping bag with the batter.

8. Put collectively 2 baking sheets by piping a small dot of batter on each nook, then line with parchment paper. This may increasingly forestall the parchment paper from flying up inside the oven when the fan prompts in case you might be using a convection oven.

9. Pipe 2-inch spherical mounds of batter, 2-inches apart by holding the pastry bag vertically, 1/2-inch away from the paper and gently squeezing with out shifting the piping bag. Everytime you attain the required measurement, shortly twist and flick the piping bag so you have further of a flat excessive than a peak.

   When you’re not making the craquelin, proceed to second half of step 11.

10. If using the craquelin, take away the sheet of craquelin from the fridge. Peel off one aspect of parchment and evenly place it once more on excessive. Flip the sheet, then peel off the other piece of parchment. Doing it would help loosen the dough and make it easier to stamp out circles.

11. Using a 2-inch circle cutter, stamp out discs. Gently place a disc on excessive of each mound of piped choux. It ought to drape throughout the pastries as they bake and create a crispy exterior.

    If not using the craquelin, put collectively the egg wash by whisking collectively the egg, milk, and salt in a small bowl. Brush the tops of the choux with the egg wash.

12. Bake for 10 minutes then cut back the heat to 350 F. Proceed to bake until the puffs are golden and cooked by, one different 24 to 27 minutes with out the craquelin topping, and about half-hour with craquelin topping.

    Take away from the oven and permit them to chill absolutely on the baking trays or a wire rack.

Fill and Serve:

1. As quickly because the pastries are absolutely cool, use a paring knife or a chopstick to poke a niche on the bottom of each.

2. Take away the pastry cream from the fridge and swap it into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle. Mix the pastry cream on medium velocity until simple and silky, 2 to a few minutes.

3. Match a piping bag with a 1/3 inch spherical tip (paying homage to Ateco tip #803) and fill the piping bag with the pastry cream.

4. Accumulate the prepared piping bag filled with pastry cream and pipe adequate cream in each puff until it feels heavy and it begins to overflow barely. Scrape off any further cream from the underside of the pastry and swap to a serving platter.

5. Sift the confectioners’ sugar over the tops of the cream puffs and serve immediately.