SAVORY CREAM PUFFS
Savory cream puffs are delicious finger foods, made with Choux Pastry, the same neutral-tasting dough used for sweet cream puffs, filled with delightful fillings and perfect to serve as an appetizer or for a standing dinner aperitif.
The beauty of this preparation is that it pairs perfectly with every type of filling: from cold cuts mousse to ricotta enriched with cherry tomatoes; from the classic tuna sauce to simple smoked salmon to obtain many delicious variations.
A recipe for SAVORY CREAM PUFFS, easy and quick especially if you decide to buy ready-made bases but not impossible to make at home: you will only need 15 minutes to make the dough and while they bake in the oven you can focus on the fillings.
In today’s recipe, I chose a mortadella mousse enriched with pistachio crumbs, no-cook, which prepares in just 5 minutes, but you can easily replace it with ham pâté or simply a ricotta mousse, mixed with grated Parmesan, salt, pepper, and toasted almond crumbs ready in less than a minute.
Savory cream puffs are perfect to serve warm or cold on a festive lunch occasion or to bring to the table for a buffet dinner or aperitif.
For a more scenic presentation, you can also present the savory cream puffs stacked on top of each other and maybe cover them with a cheese fondue to simulate a sort of savory profiterole cake.
At the bottom of the recipe, you will also find four other fillings with which you can fill your savory cream puff, each more indulgent than the last: one based on smoked salmon, one based on tuna in oil, a vegetarian one with ricotta and grilled vegetables, and finally one based on salami and cooked ham.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 40 CREAM PUFFS
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: French
- Energy 171.70 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 5.32 (g) of which sugars 0.80 (g)
- Proteins 8.65 (g)
- Fat 12.97 (g) of which saturated 6.09 (g)of which unsaturated 5.69 (g)
- Fibers 0.15 (g)
- Sodium 426.33 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 50 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2.2 oz whole milk
- 2.2 oz water
- 2.6 oz all-purpose flour
- 1.8 oz butter
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 10.6 oz Bologna mortadella
- 8.8 oz ricotta
- 2 tbsps grated Parmesan
- 1 tbsp liquid cream
- squares salt
- 1 pinch pepper
Tools
- Bowl
- Baking sheet
- Mixer
Steps
First, start preparing the savory cream puffs, then focus on the fillings while they bake. To make the savory cream puffs, start with the choux pastry. Find all the tricks for perfect choux pastry HERE. Alternatively, if you want to save time, you can choose to buy ready-made puffs available at most supermarkets. While the savory cream puffs are baking, you can work on the mortadella mousse.
Cut the slice of mortadella into small cubes, then put them in the mixer and run it for 1/2 minute, then add: ricotta, Parmesan, liquid cream, and a pinch of pepper. Blend all the ingredients for a couple of minutes until you get a creamy and homogeneous foam. Since all the ingredients are already quite salty, it’s not always necessary to add salt; personally, I never do. The mortadella mousse is ready; store it in the fridge if you don’t use it immediately.
After the cream puffs are baked, let them cool completely. Then cut off the top cap with a knife and set it aside. Fill the cream puffs with the mortadella mousse using a teaspoon or alternatively with a piping bag. Replace the cap and decorate with pistachio crumbs. Your SAVORY CREAM PUFF is ready to offer to your guests.
VARIANTS
COOKED HAM Filling. You will need: 5.3 oz cooked ham, 3.5 oz cream cheese, 3 slices of salami, salt, pepper. Put the cream cheese in the mixer bowl along with the slices of cooked ham and salami and blend everything until you get a soft and creamy mousse. Adjust salt and pepper.
Oil-Packed TUNA Filling. You will need: 5.3 oz oil-packed tuna, 1.8 oz cream cheese, 10 pickled capers, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise. Put the drained tuna, cream cheese, mayonnaise, and chopped capers in the blender jar and blend until you get a homogeneous sauce.
Vegetarian Filling. You will need: 3.5 oz ricotta, 1 grilled yellow bell pepper, 1 zucchini, sliced almonds, 2 basil leaves, salt, pepper. Put the ricotta, previously drained from whey, in a bowl along with fresh basil, season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Place the filling in the savory cream puff and garnish with thin strips of pepper and zucchini.
SALMON Filling. You will need: 3.5 oz smoked salmon, 3.5 oz cream cheese, salt, pepper. Work the cream cheese with a fork along with a pinch of salt and pepper until creamy. Fill the savory cream puff, then top with small pieces of smoked salmon.
STORAGE
Once ready, savory cream puffs can be stored in the fridge, in an airtight container for up to 1 day. However, you can prepare the savory cream puffs in advance and store them in a cool, dry place in a freezer bag for up to a week.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Why don’t my cream puffs puff up?
The cause is a too-short baking time or a too-high oven temperature, which doesn’t allow the interior of the product to cook properly. Another factor can be the premature opening of the oven, causing a drop in internal temperature.
Where to store cream puffs?
How to store empty cream puffs? Empty cream puffs are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week
