"Mon Petit Chou"

Mon petit chou is a term of endearment and some think the name of this dough may refer to the pastries as "cherished little things". Only the French could come up with something so charming! Pate a choux, or cream puff pastry is one of the basic pastry doughs in French pastry making. The dough is made by whisking flour into boiling water, butter, salt, and sugar. The dough is then cooked on top of the stove to dry out the mixture (this is called dessecher). At this point you have to stir wildly so that the dough does not burn on the bottom. I say "wildly" because the dough can get quite thick so you really have to get your arms working here. It is ready to be thrown into the mixer with a paddle attachment when a thin film forms on the bottom. Eggs are added one at a time until the right consistency is reached. At this point gruyere cheese and black pepper can be added to make gougeres. Different shapes are piped out according to what is being made and then baked. This dough is the only French dough that gets cooked twice. Pate a choux pastries are leaved by steam, a method of mechanical leavening as compared to chemically leavening. It is the steam created by the moisture and eggs in the dough that expand forming the cavity inside the pastry. This dough is used in many classic pastries such as cream puffs, eclairs, profiteroles, swans, and gougeres.