STRAWBERRY CREAM PUFF

Strawberry Cream Puff

Source: Great American Home Baking

10 servings

1 cup water
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs

Filling
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners sugar' sugar
1 (12 ounce) package frozen, thawed strawberries
    in syrup, drained, 2 tablespoons syrup reserved
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping
Confectioners' sugar

In a heavy saucepan, heat water, butter and salt over medium-high heat until butter melts. Reduce heat to low. Add flour all at once, stirring until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Cool for 10 minutes.

Add eggs to flour mixture, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Cool for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet; line with wax paper. Trace a 7-inch circle on the paper. Drop dough in mounds, touching each other, in a circle over tracing.

Bake ring until golden, 35 minutes. Turn off oven. Using a small knife, cut small slits in pastry sides while still in oven. Let stand in oven with the door closed for 20 minutes. Transfer ring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To prepare filling, eat cream at medium speed until just thickened. At low speed, add confectioners' sugar, reserved strawberry syrup and vanilla extract, beating until soft peaks form. Fold in strawberries.

Slice ring in half horizontally. Remove any uncooked dough from inside ring. Spoon strawberry cream into bottom half of ring; replace top. Dust with confectioners' sugar.