Repollos Rellenos de Crema de Puebla

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 2-quart saucepan for crema pastelera
• •Wooden spoon for drying the choux paste
• •Two rimmed sheet pans lined with parchment
• •Piping bag with 1/2-inch round tip
• •Serrated knife for splitting the shells
• •Fine-mesh sieve for dusting azucar glass

Instructions

1. 1

   Infuse the milk

   For the crema pastelera, combine the 2 cups milk, half the sugar, the canela stick, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Warm over medium heat until tiny bubbles gather at the edge. Do not boil it hard. You want the milk hot enough to carry the canela, not scorched on the bottom like a careless fonda pot.

2. 2

   Cook the crema

   In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, remaining sugar, and cornstarch until pale and thick. Whisk in a little hot milk to temper the yolks, then whisk everything back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the crema thickens and gives a few heavy bubbles. Keep cooking for 1 full minute so the cornstarch loses its raw taste.

   Do not walk away from pastry cream. It looks thin, then suddenly it is thick. That is when lazy cooks get lumps.
3. 3

   Chill the crema

   Remove the canela stick. Whisk in the butter and Mexican vanilla until smooth. Strain the crema into a shallow dish, press plastic wrap directly against the surface, and refrigerate until cold and firm, at least 1 hour. Warm crema collapses the shells and should not sit on the counter. La cocina no es decoracion, es trabajo.

4. 4

   Start the choux

   Heat the oven to 425F. Line two sheet pans with parchment. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, 1/2 cup milk, cubed butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a full simmer over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the sifted flour all at once. All at once means all at once. No me vengas con atajos.

5. 5

   Dry the paste

   Stir hard with a wooden spoon until the dough gathers into one smooth mass and leaves a thin film on the bottom of the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. The sound changes from soft stirring to a dry scrape. That drying matters. Too much moisture gives you flat repollos instead of hollow shells.

6. 6

   Beat in eggs

   Transfer the hot dough to a mixing bowl and let it cool for 5 minutes. Beat in the 4 eggs one at a time, mixing fully after each addition. The dough should turn glossy and fall from the spoon in a thick V shape. If it is still stiff, add the beaten extra egg 1 tablespoon at a time. Eggs are measured by texture here, not by pride.

   If the dough runs like cake batter, you added too much egg. It should hold a mound on the tray and slowly settle, not spread into a puddle.
7. 7

   Pipe the repollos

   Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip. Pipe 18 mounds, about 2 inches wide, leaving room between them. Smooth only the sharp points with a damp fingertip. Do not polish them flat. Those little ridges are why they are called repollos, like tiny cabbages.

8. 8

   Bake until firm

   Bake at 425F for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven to 375F and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, until the shells are deep golden, dry-looking, and firm when lifted. Do not open the oven early. Pale choux is not done choux. The color is the clock.

   If the shells feel soft on the sides, give them 5 more minutes. A shell that leaves the oven weak will fold in on itself.
9. 9

   Dry and cool

   Turn off the oven. Pierce the side of each shell with a small knife, then return them to the turned-off oven with the door cracked for 10 minutes. Cool completely on a rack. Do not fill them warm. My mother wrote this kind of warning in her notebook because people never want to wait.

10. 10

    Fill and dust

    Whisk the chilled crema pastelera until smooth and pipeable. Split each shell across the middle with a serrated knife and fill generously with crema. Set the tops back on, dust with powdered sugar, and serve the same day with cafe de olla or hot chocolate. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Use real Mexican vanilla extract, preferably from Papantla, Veracruz, and read the label. If it smells like candy and the bottle will not tell you what is inside, leave it at the stall. Ask the women at the market. Preguntale a las senoras del mercado.
• •This recipe uses mantequilla, not manteca de cerdo. La manteca es el sabor when the dish asks for lard. Choux asks for butter because the dairy fat gives the shell flavor and color. Margarine makes a dull, greasy repollo.
• •There are no chiles here, and do not invent one. The regional marker is the panaderia tradition, the canela, the vanilla, the merienda hour, and the Talavera plate on the Puebla table. Cada estado, su propia cocina.
• •The fifth egg is insurance, not a command. Add it only by tablespoons if the dough is too stiff. A careful cook watches texture before obeying a number.
• •Filled repollos must be refrigerated if they are not served right away. Crema pastelera is milk and egg. Respect it.

Advance Preparation

• •The crema pastelera can be made up to 2 days ahead. Keep it covered with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface and whisk it smooth before piping.
• •The choux shells can be baked 1 day ahead and stored airtight once completely cool. Recrisp them in a 300F oven for 8 minutes, then cool again before filling.
• •Filled repollos are best within 6 hours. They will hold refrigerated for 24 hours, but the shell softens. Dust with powdered sugar only shortly before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 70g)