 (Photos by Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post) | Week 7: The key to superb cream puffs is a good egg Eggs have a reputation among chefs for being the most simple food that is — secretly — the most challenging food to cook well. My favorite living chef, Jacques Pépin, famously uses an egg to test a chef's skill, because how someone prepares a plate of eggs can tell you a lot about their knowledge and intuition in the kitchen. Years ago, I found myself in the French Laundry test kitchen with some of Thomas Keller's chefs. How I ended up there is a blur of emails and star-struckness I can barely explain, but there I was in a blue apron I surely had not earned the right to wear. We made pizzas, and one of the chefs handed me a bowl of eggs and asked me to fry a few to over easy to top one of the pies. Simple, right? Hardly! I looked down at my hands as I cracked an egg into a bowl, and they were literally, I kid you not, trembling. That day, I fried eggs decently — at least I hope I did, because I was somehow so nervous I barely remember how they turned out. Even if I hadn't nailed it, the chefs were so kind they never let on. I thought I had respect for eggs, but that day my reverence deepened. Eggs are a simple wonder in the kitchen, and are far less intimidating when you understand their anatomy and function. This week's lesson will help you understand the power of eggs in baked goods. And with that knowledge, we'll make cream puffs that bake into feather-light and pleasingly rich pastries. You'll find an entire wall of eggs at the grocery store ranging in size from medium to extra-large, some white, some brown. For baking, I always reach for the large eggs of any color. A large egg (shell and all) weighs about 56 grams: about 30 grams for the egg white and water, about 18 grams for the yolk, and 8 or so grams for the shell. Of course, every large egg will differ by a few grams, but when we use large eggs, we can be confident in just how much moisture we're adding to a recipe. An egg white is mostly made up of proteins and a bit of water. The yolk contains fat and nutrients. Some recipes may call for separating the egg whites from the yolks. The protein structure in whites has the power to grow into pillowy meringues, and it brings stability and lift to baked goods in the oven. Egg yolks add richness and a smooth texture, and, thanks to a naturally occurring fat called lecithin, they help emulsify ingredients. When heated over low heat, egg yolks can thicken a custard to an almost satin-like texture. The cream puff recipe below uses whole eggs to make a rich dough that we'll pipe onto sheets of parchment before baking. It might sound intimidating, but I promise it's actually pretty simple, and once you unlock this hack, you'll enter a whole new world of sweet and savory baked goods. We'll make our cream puffs with pâte à choux, a classic French dough made on the stovetop. After cooling the dough for a few minutes, we'll add the eggs, one by one. The egg whites will start to aerate the dough, while the yolks will add rich color and texture. Once the dough is piped, into the oven it goes, where the egg whites work their magic, transforming the choux into puffs with golden, crisp outsides and eggy and hollow insides. These puffs will make you feel like a superhero and an expert on eggs. You can split each puff in half to fill with softly whipped cream, and if your cream puffs feel like a true wonder, that's because they are.  | This week's toolbox | Here's what you'll need to nail this week's recipe: Reusable piping bag: This is a cone-shaped plastic bag used to neatly pipe soft baking elements like pâte à choux and frosting. Reusable piping bags are often made of a more durable plastic than most other kitchen plastics, which makes them reliable to use for large or detailed baking projects. In a pinch, a sealable freezer bag with the corner snipped off can be used to pipe these puffs. Large round piping tip: When inserted into a reusable piping bag, this will help neatly pipe the cream puffs. I also find a round piping tip handy when it comes to piping simple borders on cakes.
 | Recipe | Cream PuffsThese cream puffs are the first thing I baked that felt like absolute magic. The egg-rich batter, also known by its French name, pâte à choux, is unlike most other pastry doughs in that it comes together on the stovetop and gets portioned out with a piping bag. In the oven, the eggs do the heavy lifting to create a crisp puff that is beautifully light and rich inside. Pâte à choux works well in both sweet and savory iterations, though I think their highest calling is simply to be filled with lightly sweetened cream and dusted with powdered sugar. For easy printing and scaling, view this recipe on our website at washingtonpost.com/recipes. IngredientsMakes about 28 puffs
Prep time: 35 mins
Bake time: 30 mins For the pastry:
1 cup (240 milliliters) water
1 stick (113 grams/4 ounces) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups (156 grams) flour
4 large eggs, at room temperature
For the whipped cream:
2 cups (480 milliliters) heavy cream, chilled
3 tablespoons powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon vanilla extract StepsMake the pastry: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees; position the racks in the center and upper third of the oven.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the water, butter, sugar and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously until the mixture comes together into a ball and a film starts to form on the bottom and sides of the pan. Continue stirring as the dough cooks and ultimately forms a smooth, glossy ball, about 4 minutes.
Transfer the cooked batter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or a large bowl if you plan to use a hand mixer. Allow the batter to rest until just warm to the touch, 8 to 10 minutes.  | Beat in the eggs, one at a time, making sure each egg is well incorporated before adding the next one, at least 30 seconds. With each egg addition, stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. After adding the last egg, beat until the batter is glossy and smooth, about 1 minute.
Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit a large pastry bag with a 1/2-inch-wide round tip or a freezer zip-top bag with the corner cut off to form a 1/2-inch opening. Place the bag in a 16-ounce glass and fold the top of the bag over the rim of the glass. Spoon the batter into the piping bag, then gather the top of the bag away, up and out of the glass, twisting to close. Pipe 1 1/2- to 2-inch circles onto the parchment paper, leaving about 2 inches of space between each dollop of batter.
Bake for 12 minutes, until the dollops are puffed. Reduce the oven heat to 375 degrees and continue to bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Rotate the pans and switch them once during the second half of baking. Let the puffs cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Make the whipped cream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes.
Slice the puffs in half across the equator. Sandwich some whipped cream in each puff, then lightly dust with the powdered sugar. Serve right away.
Nutritional facts (per serving): Calories: 240; Protein: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 12 g; Fat: 19 g; Saturated Fat: 14 g; Cholesterol: 125 mg; Sodium: 70 mg; Fiber: 0 g; Sugar: 2 g. Did you make the recipe?We want to see how your cream puffs turned out! Share your Baking Basics creations with us on Instagram with #eatvoraciously. Dinner was served for Laura, wbl56 and LaCouronne, who baked up these buttermilk beauties. Next week: It's final week in this series, so let's celebrate with a gorgeous, delicious frosted cake! Have a question about the recipe?Email us at voraciously@washpost.com or message @eatvoraciously on Instagram. If you're having trouble viewing or receiving this or other newsletters from the series, or have other email tech questions, drop us a note here. Visit Voraciously.com for recipes, how-to guides, the latest food trends and much more. Joy Wilson is a self-taught baker turned professional, food photographer and cookbook author. She is the author of "Homemade Decadence" and teaches baking workshops at her studio, the Bakehouse, in New Orleans. Find her at @joythebaker on Instagram and Twitter. | 
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