How to Fill Savory Cream Puffs

• Boil 3.5 oz of shrimp in slightly salted water, drain, and let them cool. In the meantime, mix 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise with a good teaspoon of ketchup, two drops of Worcestershire, and a teaspoon of brandy. Wash and dry two lettuce leaves and cut them into julienne strips. Mix the shrimp with the cocktail sauce and the lettuce. Cut the tops off the savory cream puffs and fill with a spoonful of the mixture.

• Work 2 tablespoons of ricotta with some chives, add two slices of smoked salmon cut into strips, and fill the cream puffs.

• Blend 1 tablespoon of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano with 3 slices of cooked ham, add 2 tablespoons of ricotta, mix, and fill the cream puffs.

• Drain 2.8 oz of tuna, add it to 2 tablespoons of pickled vegetable salad, 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, mix, and fill the cream puffs.

• Mash 3.5 oz of pre-cooked cotechino with a fork, add 3.5 oz of cooked lentils, pepper, mix, and fill the cream puffs.

• Blend 1 oz of salted pistachios with 3 slices of mortadella, mix everything with 2 tablespoons of ricotta, and fill the cream puffs.

• Coarsely chop some pre-cooked mushrooms, chop 3 slices of speck, and mix them with the mushrooms. Fill the cream puffs.

• Coarsely chop 1 piece of steamed salmon, together with a cooked potato. Season with pink pepper, salt, and mix. Fill the cream puffs.

• You can fill the cream puffs with light Russian salad, or with a base for Russian salad, mixed with mayonnaise.

• Once the cream puffs are cold, cut the top, place a spoonful of filling in the center, and put the top back on.

  Once filled, they should be served immediately or within a couple of hours.

• Dice the butter and place it in a saucepan, add the water, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil and as soon as it starts boiling, remove from heat and pour the flour in. Mix well and return to heat. Stir continuously until a dough ball forms and detaches from the sides. Turn off the heat and let it cool slightly. Put the mixture into a mixer or stand mixer, add an egg, and blend until the first egg is absorbed. Add the other egg and continue to work. Pour the cream puff base into a piping bag, with a large nozzle.

  Preheat the oven to 428°F.

  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and create small mounds with the help of the piping bag. Bake the cream puffs for 15 minutes. Then, lower the temperature to 338°F and continue baking for another 10 minutes. At the end of baking, leave the cream puffs to cool in the oven, turned off, with the door slightly open.