Miniature Sweet Puffs

Miniature Sweet Puffs
From Food Network Kitchens

1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar, for sprinkling, optional, recommended: Sugar in the Raw
Confectioners' sugar

Serving Suggestion: Raspberry Cream, recipe follows, or mousse or ice cream of choice

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Bring the water, butter, salt, and sugar to a boil in a saucepan, over medium-high heat. Pull pan from the heat, add the flour at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until all the flour is incorporated, about 1 minute. Return the pan to the heat and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes to evaporate some of the water and "cook" out the flour. The dough will get a bit shiny and stick to the pan a little.
Transfer the mixture into an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix together on medium speed, and, while the mixer is running, add 1 egg. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Repeat, adding the other egg. Mix until the dough is smooth and glossy and eggs are uniformly incorporated.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip, pipe the dough onto the baking sheet, into 1/4 to 1/2-inch balls. (Use a damp finger, to dab down the points of the dough to make perfect balls.) Sprinkle with the turbinado sugar, if desired. Bake 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees F (without opening the oven door), and bake until puffed up, and a rich golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Remove and poke with a toothpick. Bake an additional 10 minutes to dry the insides of the puffs. Cool on a rack.

Cut puffs in half and fill with Raspberry Cream, ice cream or your favorite filling. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve.

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Raspberry Cream:
1 cup raspberries
3 tablespoons sugar, plus more to taste
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Mash the berries and sugar in a small saucepan with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring frequently until the berries breakdown and get juicy, about 5 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl; discard the seeds. Cool. Adjust the sweetness or tartness of the sauce with more sugar and lemon juice, as needed.

Beat the cream until it holds a light peak. Sift the confectioners' sugar into the cream. Continue beating until the cream holds a holds a soft, but firm peak. Gently fold raspberry sauce into the whipped cream until blended. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until needed.

Yield: about 2 cups