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It was a slow and lazy day for our protagonist as she lay in bed browsing culinary schools and their respective curriculums. “Choux pastry!” they flashed and tempted. Fill them with cream (whipped, pastry, or iced) to create profiteroles and éclairs; glaze them with a ganache or sprinkle them with sugar. “Wouldn’t you like to join the ranks of preliminary pastry chefs across the world?” they taunted. After a quick search, the screen was full of tabs from Food Network and blogs claiming how wonderfully, intoxicatingly, astonishingly simple they were. Would our heroine pass up the unstated challenge dancing before her?

Of course not!

Armed with a recipe from the Barefoot Contessa, and her trusty friends from KitchenAid and Cusinart, this brave woman dived into the depths of her kitchen. “Simmer oh milk and butter!” she cried! “Fight me not flour!” she proclaimed as she worked it into the butter and milk mixture. “Peace is what we aim for! Please work together great members of Dough and Egg”, she urged. And finally, they combined. It was finally time to mold new homes for all those that had been part of the struggle. And then… the most difficult part of any battle… the wait. Time would only tell if these new communities could battle the heat of the oven. Would they rise to the occasion, or fall flat like so many before them, tears of moisture spotting their newly built walls, absorbing and rotting the foundation?

20 minutes, another 10 minutes, another 15 minutes… What was the state of our great heroine and these newly acquired allies?

Success!!! They had survived! Overcome the heat of the oven, withstood cold drafts of ‘room temperature’, allowing both elements to strengthen their base. It was time to fill them with whipped cream, and test their roofs with the chocolate sauce. The strong foundations held up well, welcoming the new elements.

Video recipe by Barefoot Contessa –

Barefoot Contessa – Profiteroles

Actual pictures of profiteroles / cream puffs –

Update - It has been 1.5 weeks since our heroine has fought the epic battle of ‘Profiterole”, and has since tried another 3 times. In total, she has succeeded twice, and failed twice. She has called in for assistance in the form of Home Baking, by the Culinary Institute of America. She hopes that this new game plan will guarantee better results for all those involved, so that many ingredients will not fall victim to moisture and sink into themselves. Stay tuned for more updates as her ambitious journey continues. Until then, I bid you farewell dear friend.