Light and delicious dessert that is the perfect ending to any meal!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Difficulty Level: Easy
Servings: 6
Calories: 469kcal
Author: Louise
Ingredients
Puff Pastry Shells
1sheetPuff Pastrythawed
Glazed Strawberries
12ouncessliced strawberriesfrozen or fresh
¼cupwhite sugar
¼cupwaterPlus 2 Tablespoons for the cornstarch slurry
1tsp lemon juice
1½Tablespoonscornstarch
Pastry Cream
1¼cupwhole milkor half and half, divided in recipe
⅛teaspoonkosher or fine grind sea salt
2largeegg yolks
3Tablespoons white sugar
2Tablespoonscorn starch
2Tablespoonsbutter
½Tablespoonvanilla paste or vanilla extract
Chantilly Cream
1cupheavy whipping cream
2-3Tablespoonsconfectioners sugarsifted
½Tablespoonvanilla paste or extract
Instructions
Puff Pastry Shells
Preheat the oven to 400℉℉/200℃ and have the oven rack in the middle position.
Roll out the thawed sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface so it is about 12" x 18".
1 sheet Puff Pastry
Cut six equal pieces. Turn a jumbo muffin pan over so the bottom of the pan is facing you and drape each piece of puff pastry over each well to form a cup. Gently press the pastry to the sides of the well.
Cover the pastry with parchment and a large baking tray or cookie sheet pan to prevent the bottom of the puff pastry from puffing up. Place in the preheated oven on the middle rack and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove the pan and the parchment and bake an additional 3-5 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden in color. Remove from the oven and pop the pastry bowls off of the muffin tin and place them on a cooling rack to cool.
Glazed Strawberries
Place the frozen or fresh sliced strawberries in a medium size mixing bowl. The strawberries do not need to be thawed if they are frozen.
12 ounces sliced strawberries
Add sugar, water, and lemon juice to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat to melt he sugar and bring the mixture to a simmer.
¼ cup white sugar, ¼ cup water, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Combine the 2 Tablespoons of water with the cornstarch and mix until smooth.
1½ Tablespoons cornstarch
When the sugar mixture is simmering, add the cornstarch slurry and whisk constantly until the glaze begins to thicken. Once it comes to a boil, turn the stove off and continue to whisk. The glaze will turn from white to opaque and become thick like paste.
Transfer the glaze to the bowl of strawberries and mix to combine. The juices from the strawberries will combine with the thick glaze to make the perfect dessert topping. If you are using fresh strawberries, you can add a little water to thin the glaze out a bit. Cover and store at room temperature if the strawberries are frozen and in the fridge if they are fresh.
Pastry Cream
Add 1 cup of the whole milk or half and half and salt to a small saucepan. Reserve the ¼ cup of milk for the next step. Heat over medium heat to bring the milk to a simmer. You do not want to boil it.
1¼ cup whole milk, ⅛ teaspoon kosher or fine grind sea salt
put the egg yolks into a small mixing bowl and add the remaining ¼ cup of milk, sugar, and cornstarch. Whisk until smooth.
2 large egg yolks, 3 Tablespoons white sugar, 2 Tablespoons corn starch
When the milk has started to simmer, pour about ¼ of a cup into the egg yolk mixture and whisk to combine. This will temper the eggs and prevent them from becoming scrambled eggs when you add this mixture to the hot milk.
Return the saucepan of milk to the stove and bring it back to a simmer. Slowly pour in the egg mixture while whisking constantly. The pastry cream will begin to thicken.
When it is thick, like a loose pudding, turn the stove off and add the butter and vanilla paste or extract. Whisk the butter and vanilla into the custard until incorporated.
2 Tablespoons butter, ½ Tablespoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract
Transfer the pastry cream to a shallow container. You can pour it through a fine sieve strainer if you are worried you may have some lumps. Cover with plastic wrap and make sure the plastic wrap touches the pastry cream so a skin doesn't form while chilling. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before using.
Chantilly Cream
Add the heavy cream to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Using a stand mixer (use the whisk attachment) or hand-held electric mixer begin beating the cream on low speed until you see it start to thicken slightly.
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Once it begins to thicken, add in the sifted powdered sugar and increase the speed to medium. Once the sugar has been incorporated, increase to high speed.
2-3 Tablespoons confectioners sugar
When it is the consistency of pudding, add the vanilla paste or extract and continue to beat on high speed until light and fluffy.
½ Tablespoon vanilla paste or extract
Cover and refrigerate until use.
Assembling the Strawberry Chantilly Puffs
Place each puff pastry on a plate. Divide the pastry cream between the six puff pastry bowls. It should fill at least 1" of the bowl. Add about ¼-½ cup of the strawberry mixture and top with Chantilly cream. Serve immediately or within 1-2 hours for the best textures. Enjoy!