Two-Cream Shu Cream (二層仕立てのシュークリーム)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Piping bag with round tip, or a sturdy zip-top bag with one corner cut
• •Medium saucepan
• •Whisk
• •Baking sheet lined with parchment
• •Wire rack
• •Small skewer

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the custard

   Warm the milk and cream until small bubbles gather at the edge. In a bowl, whisk the yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until pale, then whisk in the hot dairy little by little. Slow adding keeps the yolks from scrambling, which is all tempering means in plain clothes.

2. 2

   Thicken and chill

   Return the mixture to the pan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens and gives one or two heavy bubbles. Cook for one minute more so the cornstarch loses its raw taste. Off the heat, whisk in vanilla and butter, then press plastic wrap directly on the surface and chill until cold.

   The wrap touches the custard so a skin can't form. A skin will break into lumps when you pipe, and this filling should be smooth enough to sit quietly under the cream.
3. 3

   Start the choux

   Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Put the water, milk, butter, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a full boil, then add the sifted flour all at once. Stir hard until no dry flour remains. Adding the flour at once lets it hydrate evenly, so the shell rises cleanly instead of splitting into pasty streaks.

4. 4

   Dry the dough

   Keep stirring over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the dough gathers into a smooth ball and a thin film coats the bottom of the pan. This is the first secret. You're cooking off extra moisture before the eggs go in, so the paste has enough strength to trap steam and puff hollow.

5. 5

   Work in eggs

   Transfer the dough to a bowl and let it cool for 3 minutes, just until hot but not scorching. Beat in the eggs a little at a time. Stop when the dough is glossy and falls from the spatula in a thick V-shaped ribbon. You may not need every drop of egg, because flour and weather are not obedient things.

   Too stiff, and the puffs won't expand well. Too loose, and they spread before they rise. The ribbon tells you the dough is ready better than the egg count does.
6. 6

   Pipe and bake

   Pipe 8 mounds, each about 2 inches wide, leaving space between them. Tap any sharp peaks down with a wet fingertip so they don't burn. Bake for 15 minutes at 400°F, then lower to 350°F and bake 18 to 22 minutes more, until deep golden and firm. The high heat sets the lifted shell before the steam escapes; the lower heat dries it so it stays crisp.

7. 7

   Cool the shells

   Turn off the oven, crack the door, and let the shells sit for 5 minutes. Move them to a rack and pierce each one with a skewer to let trapped moisture out, then cool completely. Fill them warm and the creams melt. Fill them damp and the shell softens before it reaches the table.

8. 8

   Whip the cream

   Whip the chilled heavy cream with the sugar until it holds soft but clear peaks. Don't chase stiffness. A Japanese shu cream wants light cream that folds into the bite, not a block of sweetness standing at attention.

9. 9

   Fill in layers

   Slice each shell open near the top, or make a small opening in the base. Pipe custard into the lower half first, then pipe whipped cream above it. The custard anchors the puff, the whipped cream lightens it, and the two layers give the konbini twin-cream its proper shape.

10. 10

    Dust and serve

    Set the tops back on, dust lightly with powdered sugar, and serve soon. Shu cream is best within a few hours of filling, while the shell still has a little crispness and the creams are cold and clean.

Chef Tips

• •Use fresh cream with a clean dairy smell. This dish has nowhere to hide old cream, and no amount of vanilla will rescue it.
• •For the shell, trust color more than the clock. Pale choux is usually damp inside. You want a confident golden brown, firm sides, and a hollow sound when tapped.
• •A piping bag gives the neatest layers, but a zip-top bag with the corner cut works. The tool isn't sacred here. The two creams must stay distinct, that's the point.
• •Fill close to serving. The custard can be ready and the shells can be baked, but once cream meets pastry, time starts taking its little bites.

Advance Preparation

• •The custard can be made one day ahead and kept refrigerated with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface.
• •The choux shells can be baked the morning of serving. Keep them uncovered at room temperature, then refresh in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes if they have softened.
• •Whip the cream and fill the shells within 2 hours of serving for the cleanest texture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 105g)