Preparation and cooking of baked cream puffs or in air fryer:

• For the pastry cream:

  Split the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a knife, then put the pod and seeds in a saucepan, add the milk and bring it to a boil, once it boils remove the pod and stir well.

  In the mixer or a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until frothy, then add the cornstarch and a pinch of salt.

  When the ingredients are well combined, gradually add the hot milk.

  Now transfer the egg and milk mixture to the saucepan where the milk was boiled, turn on the heat and continue stirring until the cream thickens.

  Pour the cream into a bowl, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the cream to prevent a hard film from forming on the surface.

  Let it cool at room temperature, then store it in the refrigerator. You can easily prepare the cream the day before.

   

• For the choux pastry:

  Now prepare the choux pastry by bringing the water with butter and salt to a boil, when it boils remove the pot from the heat, add all the flour and stir immediately, put back on the heat and stir until the mixture detaches from the sides and forms a white film at the bottom of the saucepan.

  Let it cool slightly and add one egg at a time, mixing well until it is perfectly combined with the mixture, do the same with all the eggs.

  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, put the choux pastry in a piping bag and form puffs all of the same size, spacing them apart.

  Bake the puffs in a preheated oven at 200°F for about 15 minutes without ever opening the oven or they will deflate, then bake at 180°F for about 10 minutes.

  Once baked, turn off the oven and place a wooden spoon between the oven and the door to let them cool in this way so they won’t deflate.

  For cooking in air fryer, preheat the fryer to 180°F for about 3 minutes.
  Arrange the puffs on a perforated parchment paper sheet (or a suitable pan for the air fryer) leaving space between them for expansion.
  Bake for 10 minutes at 180°F, then at 200°F for another 8 minutes, without opening the fryer in the first 10 minutes (this helps the puffs to rise well).
  Check the browning: the puffs should be puffed and evenly golden.
  Let them dry in the turned-off fryer with the door slightly open for 5 minutes, allowing the internal moisture to escape and not deflate.

• Let the puffs cool, place the pastry cream in a piping syringe and fill each puff with the cream by making a hole in the bottom of the puff, then make a dollop of cream on top of the puff.

  Dust the St. Joseph’s baked cream puffs with powdered sugar.

  Place the prepared puffs in paper cups.

  If you do not consume the puffs immediately, store them in the refrigerator.