Cream Puffs

  When we were kids I remember mom once making Bob and I cream puffs. I couldn't quite believe she was able to make something so pretty - and delicious. I suppose she made them more than once but I was so impressed the first time that's my main memory.

 Recently I decided to give them a try. And I've actually impressed  myself as much as mom did me.

 They turned out perfectly.

 I used the AllRecipes.com recipe. You can find it here.

 I photographed a few of the steps ...

 This is the finish of Step 4. I was more than a little surprised that only a cup of flour (and water and butter) would turn into a dough like this. I let it cool a little bit before adding the four eggs.

 Here's the dough with the four eggs added (Step 5). I  didn't use a wooden spoon or a stand mixer.  I have neither. A hefty tablespoon works just fine though you have to add a little elbow grease and make sure the eggs are perfectly incorporated.

 The resulting dough is a bit "thin".

 I used a small ice cream scoop to place the dough on a cookie sheet. After I took this picture I went back and added a little more to each. I wanted to use half the dough for the first dozen (I ended up making 22 puffs).

 I let  them in  the oven for the full 25 minutes and at that point they were nicely browned and tested done. Another minute or two would have been fine.

 They were beautifully browned and puffed up perfectly. They feel a bit "hollow" to the touch and, once cool, can easily be torn in half to place the filling inside. A knife is not needed.

 This is the last batch coming out of the oven.

 I have never even heard of "choux pastry" and don't remember it ever being mentioned on the cooking shoes I watch. Google says "Choux pastry (or pâte à choux) is a classic, light French pastry dough used to make sweet and savory treats. Instead of chemical leaveners like baking powder or yeast, it relies on its high moisture content to create steam during baking, which puffs the dough into a hollow shell."

 It works as advertised.

 These are just as I remember mom's. Even Tom, who seldom chooses desserts, like them. Now that I've become familiar with them, I'll certainly add them to my dessert rotation. Tom says he'd like a chocolate filling. Jim tells me a Boston cream version is very good, too.

 

Hackberry Gets a Trim

  At the south side of our property we have a hackberry. I remember many years ago asking a tree trimmer what it was. It's the only one on the property and not a pretty tree. But we get some shade from it and it's been a focal point when I look out my bedroom window.

 Trouble is, it had one major limb that dropped to the east and increasingly got in the way of my mowing. It dipped lower every year. Then, when Tom wanted to plant a seedling oak near it, we decided it had to go.

 But it was a hefty limb, probably weighed tons. How to get it down safely? Tom ordered a new battery-powered chainsaw for starters. And we decided the safest approach for two older guys was to take it down a small section at a time. We started with the leafy portion at the end and then we started working back toward the trunk maybe three feet a time.

 I looked down from my window one day to see a squirrel sitting at the end of the limb. He'd walk out the end, take a disbelieving look, walk back a few feet and then approach the end again as though he was scratching his head at the unfairness of the whole thing. Where did it go?

 Here's where it went. Our wood pile has increased substantially from the lumber from a single limb. The sapwood is extremely white compared to other wood we've cut. It's considered a hardwood and I think, once split, will serve nicely in our fireplace should we need it this winter. So besides shade it might provide some heat.

 Here's the tree with the limb removed. See the stump near the left-center at  the top of the photo? Once Tom got it cut and the sections hauled away on our two-wheeler I painted the cut to offer some protection.

 I'm going to appreciate it next summer even more than now. But our view to the south is already enhanced without that odd limb in the way. It was never balanced with the rest of the tree and balance means everything to me.