Raspberry and Chantilly Cream Profiterole Swans

Raspberry and Chantilly Cream Profiterole Swans

Now wouldn't these make a pretty end to your Valentines Day dinner? I saw this idea several years ago in an old British cookbook that had suggestions for an afternoon wedding tea. I remember them being arranged on a large silver tray with a couple of dozen 'swans' facing each other so that their arching necks visually formed a dozen or so hearts. Perhaps a little frivolous but charming none-the-less...and what better occasion for a little frivolity than Valentines Day.

To make the swans I used a large star piping tip to form large teardrop shapes of choux pastry batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet. If you don't have a piping bag, then a large Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off will do. For the heads and necks, trace out large number 2's in pairs on parchment paper, one as it is normally written and one it's reflection. Flip the parchment paper over on the baking pan and use your tracings as a guide to pipe a 4 to 5 centimeter line of choux pastry batter over the outlines. Squeeze a little more onto the tops of the outlines to form the heads, pulling the piping bag away to form a point that represents the beaks. The necks and beaks should be baked separately from the bodies because they will bake more quickly. Bake the bases first and then when the color of the heads is approximately the same as the bodies they are done; usually about 10 minutes or a little longer.

Choux Pastry

Makes about 14 - 18 Swans

For the cream puff pastry combine add to a saucepan

1 cup water
½ cup butter

And bring to a boil. Reduce to medium flame and add, all at once

1 cup all purpose flour
¼ tsp salt

Cook this mixture stirring constantly for an additional 3 minutes. Allow this mixture to cool slightly for about 10 minutes before adding, one at a time

4 large or extra large eggs

Beat well after adding each egg until batter is smooth
Cover and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Pipe teardrop shapes about 1 1/2 inches long onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 10 - 15 minutes until the puffs are golden brown and do not collapse when removed from the oven. These should be uniformly golden all over with no pale sides and sound hollow when tapped. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Chantilly Cream Filling

Beat to firm peaks:

2 cups whipping cream
4 rounded tbsp icing sugar (powdered sugar)
2 tsp vanilla extract.

Place the chantilly cream in a piping bag with a star tip or large round tip or in a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off.

Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the tops off of the swan bodies and then cut the tops in half again lengthways to form the 'wings'. Drop a few fresh raspberries into the base and fill with the chantilly cream. Push the bottom swan necks into the cream and place the two halves of the top in place to form the wings. Dust with powdered sugar before serving if desired.