Choux pastry For Saint Joseph's Day

 Saint Jospeph's Day is celebrated with lovely rich pasties. that can be bought at any Italian bakery. Yet it can also be made at home too and stuffed with a variety of traditional and not so traditional fillings.Creating it and  treats can be pretty easy.

Today's feast day features zeppoli but not the confectioner's sugar coated deep fried dough pillows we see at Italian feasts. The base is different, being made from choux pastry. Many home bakers balk at the idea of making choux pastry. It can be tricky and finicky yet it's a simple recipe. Unlike other pastry doughs , the butter and eggs are cooked with the liquids such as milk and water first. Sugar is added to this  as is the flour. It's the eggs, however, that give the dough that rich golden color when baked. It is also the airiest and crispest dough when baked, creating little puffs or cabbages - choux in French. The centers are hollow which are then filled with the San Guiseppe Day filling. The dough is first piped into a circle and then baked until golden and puffy for about thirty minutes. Cool them for ten minutes. The filling is crema pasticcera made with milk, egg yolks potato starch, sugar, salt, and vanilla. You can sub in corn starch for the potato one. The mixture is whisked over a low heat with the milk being heated  first. The heat is then reduced , thickening the filling. It's then piping the filling in and dusting with confectioner's sugar.  However you can add cocoa powder for a chocolate treat or even grated chocolate blended into the filling.

Making choux pastry is a great skill to have.Once mastered, you can try making all sorts of sweet and savory treats. Cream puffs are the most popular choice and you can try both savory and sweet fillings. Also they can come in large, medium and small sizes too.  For the smaller ones, use a scoop or a small spoon to place them on the baking sheet. The miniatures make great hors d'ouevres' for parties.  The savory ones are known as gourgeres. Think a ham and cheese one with a cream cheese base made creamy with a dash of mayo for smoothness. You can use freshly chopped ham or devlled for a silkier texture. Chicken salad is another great stuffing .Try this type of gougere for Spring wedding or baby showers for a different spin on finger sandwiches.. You could also filled them with chopped shrimp or lobster and serve with a small ramekin of shrimp sauce for a lush treat. Sweet cream puffs can be filled with any pudding from chocolate to vanilla to pistachio.Yet ones filled with ice cream and then drizzled with chocolate sauce make for a fun summer dessert at a soiree. You can also filled with a mix of chopped berries such as strawberry and blueberry and add a side puff of whipped cream.

Saint Joseph Day pastries are a treat. These and other choux pastries can easily be made at home. Try them for an delicious sweet or savory treat.