Lemon Curd Profiteroles with Raspberry

Choux pastry intimidates home cooks for no good reason. The French figured out centuries ago that butter, water, flour, and eggs could produce something miraculous when combined properly. The technique is straightforward. Heat your liquid, add flour all at once, beat in eggs one at a time. That's the whole secret. The dough does the rest in a hot oven, puffing into golden shells with hollow centers begging to be filled.

I've filled profiteroles with everything from ice cream to chocolate mousse to whipped cream, but nothing suits a summer afternoon quite like lemon curd. Its bright acidity cuts through the richness of the pastry. The color alone, that deep yellow of well-made curd, looks like bottled sunshine. Add raspberries and you have a dessert that belongs on every porch table from Charleston to San Diego.

This is make-ahead cooking at its finest. The curd improves after a day in the refrigerator. The choux puffs can be baked that morning and crisped briefly before filling. Your guests arrive to find you relaxed, a plate of profiteroles appearing as if by magic. That's the generous spirit of summer entertaining: effort invisible, pleasure apparent.