The French Chef (1962–1973): Season 1, Episode 25 - The French Chef: Pate a Choux - full transcript

ANNOUNCER: The French Chef is made possible

by a grant from Safeway Stores.

JULIA: Once you learn how to make the quick-change pastry

I'’m squeezing out of this bag,

you can make all kinds of goodies--

not only cream puffs and éclairs,

but potato dumplings and cheese appetizers.

We'’re doing them all today on The French Chef.

♪

Welcome to The French Chef.

I'’m Julia Child.



Today we'’re doing a quick-change pastry

called pâte à choux.

And you can make all kinds of things out of it.

It'’s a terribly easy pastry to make and very versatile

and something that everybody should have in their repertoire.

I'’m just doing some puffs now

and I'’m gonna put them into the oven,

and then we'’ll get back to the makings of the pastry.

Now, this pastry is called pâte à choux.

It looks like this.

It'’s just a thick yellow stuff.

And all it is is water, flour and eggs.

And it'’s terribly quick to make, as you'’re gonna see.

And when it comes out, when it'’s baked--



it'’s just automatic '’cause it has eggs in it--

and when it'’s baked, it puffs like this.

You just make a little blob of it on a pastry sheet

and then it puffs up.

And the reason it'’s called pâte à choux:

"pâte" means pastry

and "choux" means little cabbage.

And you can see, if you use your imagination,

that does look a little bit like a cabbage.

And now, to make it,

whenever you'’re gonna make a pastry like this,

be sure that you get all your things together.

We'’re gonna have butter and flour and eggs.

So you get them all out

and then you can get to it very quickly.

We'’re gonna have one cup of water.

And in that, we'’re going to put six tablespoons of butter.

If the butter is hard, it'’s a good idea

to cut it up so it'’ll melt quickly.

There, six tablespoons of butter.

And then it'’s going to have a teaspoon of salt...

...and some pepper,

two or three good grinds of pepper.

And a little bit of nutmeg.

And then, while it comes up to the boil,

we will get our flour ready.

And now, when you'’re making this kind of pastry,

you have to be sure that your measurements are right.

And most cooks and cookbooks

have various methods of measuring flour.

And the one that we always use in our recipes is this one.

This is gonna have one cup of all-purpose flour.

And you take your measuring cup--

you know, this kind of an aluminum cup that,

when it'’s full up to the top,

that means you'’ve got one cup--

and so, you take your flour.

I like this kind of a sifter very much.

You hold with it one hand, and squeeze with another.

And you don'’t get flour all over everything.

I'’ve got a piece of wax paper down,

so that when the flour spills, I can wipe it up.

And then, without shaking or wiggling your cup at all,

take the flat end of a knife and just scrape your flower off

like that, and then you have one cup of flour.

And be sure that you measure it that way

if you'’re doing this recipe.

And now, we have our butter melted here.

And then you take it off your heat,

and immediately pour all the flour in.

And then stir it in.

And then as soon as it gets well-mixed,

you then set it over heat again.

And you want--

it'’s done as soon as it leaves the sides of the pan

and your wooden spatula, and then also when

you see that it'’s just beginning to film,

sort of a little white film on the bottom of the pan.

You do this because you want to get as much moisture

out of this mass as possible.

Then, when it'’s filmed,

you then take it off the heat again

and we'’re gonna beat in four eggs, one by one.

You make a little hole in the middle of it.

And then you just break your egg in like that.

And then immediately stir it around.

It looks as though this isn'’t gonna mix up,

but it does very soon, like that.

And then you break in your other one.

And the next two eggs that go in are gonna look even slimier

than this, but they all beat in nicely.

That'’s all beaten in.

And then in goes in our other third egg.

Now, one thing you want to be very sure of:

that you use U.S.-graded large eggs,

because this formula'’s worked out exactly

for the large egg.

If you happen to have smaller ones,

you have to maybe use another half egg.

And if you use jumbo eggs, you'’d have to use

one half less, so it'’s much easier to have

just the right amount.

And then there'’s our final egg.

And see, that is a little bit...

Doesn'’t look as though it were gonna mix again,

but it all does.

Now, see, that'’s all come together again.

And then you beat it around hard

to make sure that everything'’s mixed up

and that'’s all there is to it.

That'’s certainly a very quick pastry to use.

Then, to make your puffs or whatever else

you'’re gonna make,

the easiest thing to use is a pastry bag.

And this is just sort of a heavy canvas bag

and it has a tube that goes in

and these come in all different sizes and shapes.

You can get them with a ribbon or with teeth, like that.

We'’re gonna use about a three-eighths-inch tube

'’cause we're gonna make some small puffs.

Then you take your tube and just stick it in the bag

like that.

And then to fill the bag,

you turn it over and just...

see, you'’re turning it over one hand,

then you put in the pastry and then squeeze with that hand.

If you find it difficult to hold,

you can put it into a quart measure.

But this is very easy to do, really.

Then you'’ve got your bag filled

and then you twist it like that.

And you hold... so you hold with your right hand, like that,

you'’re twisting it that way, and then you press it this way.

And this hand you hold this way,

the lower hand also presses.

And then, to...

We'’re gonna make little puffs.

You just do like that

and then lift it up.

Now, see, I'’m squeezing, really, with both hands

and then turning and lifting that way.

And then, if you want to make a big puff,

you use a tube that'’s about, oh, five-eighths of an inch.

And then you press down that way

and then, see, you'’re turning like that.

And then, for a long and éclair shape--

'’cause we're running out of pastry here--

you press it down that way

and then turn up.

And then you want to glaze it.

And you use... This is just a whole egg

that'’s been beaten with a teaspoon of water in a cup.

And then you use a paintbrush or a pastry brush

and you wipe it off like... on the side of the cup,

'’cause you don't want this egg to drip down.

And if you have a little thing that sticks up like that,

you just flatten it down with your pastry brush.

Now, these are... See, I have salt in this mixture.

And if you wanted to make sweet puffs for dessert,

instead of a teaspoon of salt you'’d use a teaspoon of sugar

and then just a pinch of salt.

Now, see, with that one there'’s a little thing sticking up,

so you just... you just press that down.

And then these will go into a 425 oven,

and they'’re gonna bake for about 20 or 30 minutes.

And at this moment, we can look at the puffs we just put in

just at the beginning.

You see, they'’re just puffing up

but they haven'’t browned yet.

And then, after about 20 minutes,

you'’ll have your puffs, which will look

about like these that I'’m going to show you.

Now, these are small puffs.

Now, this is your trick about making puffs.

They will be nice and brown, and they'’ll seem hard.

And you'’ll think, "Oh, they'’re all done and ready."

But you take them out of the oven,

and in about ten minutes, if you don'’t do something to them,

they'’ll begin to get soft.

So you take your knife... a knife for the small puff,

and just make a slit, like that, in the puff.

And this lets the steam out.

And then you put the small puffs back into the oven

for about ten minutes.

Turn the oven off and leave the door ajar

for about ten minutes, and that will dry them out.

And then, on the other hand, if you get...

have a large puff like this,

you do the same thing, you slit it.

And then you turn the oven down to 375 and let them dry out

for ten or 15 minutes more.

Then you take the puff out and...

you open up one of them just to see how it'’s going to be.

Now, you notice in here that there'’s a lot of...

there'’s a lot of uncooked...

there'’s a lot of uncooked stuff in there.

And that'’s the stuff, if you don'’t take it out,

that'’s gonna make your puff soggy.

So the thing to do is just open up the puff

and just take all of that out.

And then let the puffs stay until they'’re perfectly cool.

I'’ll do another one so you'’ll see.

But that'’s really your only secret.

You'’ve just got to get rid of that steam,

and then you won'’t have a soggy puff.

And I really think the safest way to do

is to open them up this way.

Now, look, there'’s a lot of uncooked stuff in there.

Of course, what happens if it just sits unopened

is that it looks simply lovely for a while,

and then this wet, uncooked pastry

sort of sends its wetness up through to the crust.

There.

And now I'’m gonna show you how you can fill

some of these puffs.

And you can use... We'’re using these for appetizers,

or you can use them for main courses.

And if you want to have little ones

that you could use for appetizers,

or even little smaller ones, which would be one-bite size,

they would be... they'’re very, very nice

if you'’re having cocktails.

Now, you can use as a filling, you can use any kind of a...

sort of a cream mixture.

I have here just some canned clams,

which have been warmed with a little bit of shallot

and some vermouth, and then I'’ve mixed them

into a thick cream sauce.

Or you could use lobster or shrimp or mushrooms

or anything you want.

You want to be sure, however,

that you have a good, thick sauce.

Then... We'’ll first fill a small puff.

Get some of that out of the way.

You just put your mixture in, and then put the top on.

And then, if these are gonna be served hot,

you'’d then put them back into the oven

and let them heat through.

I think I'’ll arrange them on a plate.

Now, if you'’re gonna use a big puff,

you want to be sure that you remember

which is the bottom and which is the top.

You can put in just about as much as you want.

We'’ll put in a large amount there,

and that would be very good as a main course.

Then, if you have leftover...

Let me get rid of this.

If you have any leftover pâte à choux

here'’s something that you can do with it,

which is very nice.

You see it'’s terribly useful stuff to have.

Now, this is for making little, quick appetizers.

Say that you'’ve got that much left over.

You just put it in a bowl,

and then add a little bit of cream to it.

I'’ve got, say, oh, just two or three tablespoons,

just so that you mix it up a little bit.

And then stir it up.

And then you can put anything that you want in that,

like minced clams or diced cheese.

I'’ll put in a little bit of diced Swiss cheese.

And the proportions aren'’t very important in this,

as long as it stays so it'’s thick enough,

and you can spread it.

And then take some bread and toast it on one side,

because this is going to bake in the oven

for about 15 or 20 minutes.

So toast one side, and then spread your filling

on the toasted side.

And then you pop these into the oven,

about a 375 oven, and in about half an hour--

20 minutes to half an hour--

you have a very nice little puff hors d'’oeuvre.

There.

Now we'’re going to do something else with this mixture.

I'’ll get these out of the way.

Now we'’re going to do our potato dumplings.

And this, in here, I'’ve got two cups of just

plain, ordinary mashed potatoes.

I just boiled the... boiled baking potatoes,

and then peeled them, and then put them through a ricer.

So we'’ve got two cups there

And then, whenever you'’re going to make

mashed potatoes like this, and you'’re going...

I mean, just even ordinary mashed potatoes,

you always want to dry them out over heat,

just the way we did for the pâte à choux.

You just stir it over heat, and again,

you wait until you see that the potatoes have begun

to film the bottom of the pan.

Then, for two cups of mashed potatoes,

we'’re gonna put in about one cup

of this pâte à choux mixture.

And then you just mix it all together.

It'’s always a little bit... a little bit gummy.

Just mix it.

There.

And then put in about a third of a cup of cheese

In other words you have two parts potatoes

to one part pâte à choux.

And then the cheese that... the proportions of that

doesn'’t make too much difference.

I'’m using grated Swiss cheese.

And then you mix all of that up together.

And then taste it to make sure that

you'’ve got enough salt and pepper in.

Yep, that needs some more salt. It usually does,

because the pâte à choux just has a certain amount.

I'’ll put in another half-teaspoonful,

and I'’ll put in some more pepper.

And then also, along with this...

along with this, you can... you can also put in

diced ham or crumbled bacon or whatever you'’d like.

And this is called a gnocchi à la Parisienne.

And then, we'’re gonna form it into little cylindrical shapes.

And you take some flour

and then just pick up a little ball of it with your hands.

This is always a little bit messy.

And then roll it into a ball...

and then just roll it out on a piece of wax paper

until it forms a cylinder, like that.

And you can make little circles, if you want.

There, you can make a little ball, like that.

I'’ll make one more cylinder,

which is the more usual shape.

There. And then, when you have those all made,

you then poach them in salted water.

So here we have...

Oh. I'’m spilling a little bit of it.

Here we have some salted water.

And one thing about this, you want to be very sure

that the water is not...

Once these gnocchis go in,

you want to be sure that it doesn'’t

more than just barely simmer.

You don'’t want any bubbles in it,

because if you have big bubbles, they'’ll break apart.

And then you let them cook

in that not-quite-simmering water

for about 15 or 20 minutes.

You see, now they'’re all down in the bottom of the water

and as soon as they come up onto the top

they'’re just about done.

But the only trick in these gnocchi things

is just be sure that the water doesn'’t do anything

but just shiver very, very lightly.

And then, when they'’re done,

you take them out with a slotted spoon

and drain them.

And then you put them in

just any kind of an ovenproof dish like this.

And then sprinkle them with cheese.

I'’m using, again, grated Swiss cheese.

You could use grated Parmesan cheese if you wanted to.

And you can get this all done way ahead of time.

And if you didn'’t want to use grated cheese like this,

you could use, you know, a white sauce with cheese in it,

and then sprinkle the cheese on top.

And these are awfully nice, too.

If you beat in herbs for about this amount--

two cups of potatoes-- you could beat in, oh,

four or five tablespoons of minced parsley and chives.

I think the four or five tablespoons

would be too much. Probably about three.

Then that'’s all ready for the oven,

and you can just refrigerate it and use it when you'’re ready.

And another thing...

What else did I have? Something else I was gonna do.

Well, that... Oh, when you'’re cooking this,

you then put it in a 375 oven for about half an hour,

until they will swell just a little bit more

and they'’ll brown a little bit on the...

and they'’ll brown nicely on the top.

And they'’re perfectly delicious, served either as a first course,

or you can serve them as a main course

if you'’re not having anything else.

Or they go awfully nicely with roast chicken or roast beef

or whatever else you like.

And I'’m gonna put these in the refrigerator,

and then we'’re gonna get to our dessert.

We'’re gonna have everybody's...

one of everybody'’s favorite desserts,

which is ice cream with chocolate sauce.

Now we have here, these are little...

that'’s little sweet puffs.

And you can have little, little ones or big ones.

I'’ve got two sizes here.

And then I have my chocolate sauce.

And with these, if these are little tiny ones like this,

these are called désire du roi,
or the "desire of the king,"

and they'’re always filled with vanilla ice cream

and covered with chocolate sauce, and these larger ones

are usually called profiterole,

and they'’re usually filled with whipped cream.

And this you really have to do just at the very end,

just before serving.

And I'’ve got some ice cream scoop in here.

Of course, if you'’re doing ordinary...

ordinary cream puffs, you fill them with a pastry cream,

which we'’ve done sometimes.

I think I'’ll give...

And usually, for the small size,

you'’d serve about three or four per person.

And then you put the top back on again.

I think also I'’m gonna make this person into a pig

so that he can have three little ones and one big one.

Now that one, you see, still has a little bit

of this uncooked pastry in the inside of it.

You have to do this taking out of it,

because if you left it in the oven long enough

to cook all the pastry,

it would be just as hard as a rock.

There, I'’ll put a lot of ice cream on this one.

And then the top goes back on.

And we'’ll put on some chocolate sauce.

Now, one awfully nice thing about these...

about these little puffs: once you have them made,

you can put them right into the freezer,

and then put them in a plastic bag in the freezer,

and when you want to use them, just take them directly

from the freezer, put them onto a baking sheet,

and pop them into a, say, a 400 degree oven

for just two or three minutes.

And I think this will look nice

if we have a little bit of chopped nuts on it.

And now, with our pastry previously,

I'’ve had a group, I mean, a bunch of this pastry cream here

since the beginning.

And you should always have it, if you'’re gonna use it,

at about this consistency.

And you can....

I have made it ahead

and then put it in a covered receptacle in the refrigerator.

And I'’ve even frozen it,

but then when you want to use it again,

you want to be terribly careful about reheating it,

'’cause naturally, if you reheated it too much,

then you'’d cook the eggs and it wouldn'’t puff anymore.

So the thing to do with it

is to put it into a heavy-bottomed pot,

and stir it round over very, very gentle heat.

And then use the finger test.

Stick your finger in, and it should never get any warmer

than just barely tepid.

That'’s the only thing you have to watch for.

It'’s just, be awfully careful

that you don'’t reheat it too much.

And then beat it all around

so that it gets back into this consistency again,

and you... and then you'’re perfectly all right.

It may not make as an enormous a big puff as...

as these big puffs that we have here,

but it will always make

a perfectly satisfactory small puff.

And another thing that you can do with this to make a...

You can make a cheese puff,

by, say, if we used a cup of this.

I'’m not gonna use all of a cup.

I think this makes

a particularly nice little appetizer.

As you put in, well, say that was a cup,

and then you'’d beat into it

about a third the amount of cheese.

You can use grated Swiss cheese, or you can use

a combination of Swiss and Parmesan.

And then just stir it all up like that,

and then you squeeze it out in exactly the same way

that we did for our ordinary puffs.

And then you'’ve got it squeezed out...

they should be little puffs.

This size.

And then, after you'’ve painted the top with your egg,

take just a little pinch of cheese and put it on,

And then, uh, and then when it bakes,

It'’ll have sort of a little, little wisps of cheese on top,

and that makes an awfully nice appetizer.

You can serve them either hold or cold.

And they freeze beautifully, too,

and it'’s really easier to make than a filled puff.

And now, I think we might as well see

all of the various things that we'’ve had.

Here are our désire du roi.

And we have...

Here we have our enormous puffs that you can use

either for a first course or for an appetizer.

And there'’s the éclair shape.

And here'’s this little tiny puff.

And these can either be made as sweet or as entree puffs.

And then we have our potato gnocchis.

This is the way those potato dumplings look

after you'’ve sprinkled cheese on them,

and just browned them in the oven.

And we have our désire du roi,
or the "king'’s desire."

It'’s my desire, too, it smells good.

And then here'’s something that's a great deal of fun you can do.

This is called croquembouche,
or "crunchy in the mouth."

And all these are are just little small sweet puffs

that have been filled with whipped cream

and then dipped in caramel and just made

into this rather preposterous shape.

But people always seem to think it'’s the cat's whiskers,

and it'’s sort of fun to do.

And now, remember, if you'’re doing puffs,

your only secret is-- you'’ve seen how terribly quick and easy

that pastry is to do-- when you bake them, be sure

that after they'’ve puffed and browned, you slit them,

for the small puffs, and let them dry out again the oven.

For the big puffs, slit them, let them dry out,

and then open them up and take out that uncooked pastry.

And remember: with the gnocchis, or these potato dumplings,

just remember not to let the water really boil,

just very, just very quietly.

So that'’s really a quick-change pastry.

And that'’s all for today.

This is Julia Child.

Bon appétit.

♪

ANNOUNCER: Julia Child
is coauthor of the book

Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Furniture and accessories

courtesy of
Design Research, Inc.

by a grant from Safeway Stores.

ANNOUNCER: The French Chef is made possible