Old-Fashioned Cream Puffs With Chantilly Cream Filling - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 eggs
1 egg white
2 cups whipping cream
4 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons apricots (optional) or 2 teaspoons peach brandy (optional)
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten
confectioners' sugar, sifted

Preparation

Combine water and butter in a heavy saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until butter is melted and water comes to a boil.
Add all the flour and salt.
Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until mixture is smooth and leaves side of pan, forming a ball.
Turn off heat and add first egg. Beat until well mixed. (You can use an electric mixer to beat in eggs.
Continue adding eggs, one at a time, beating well after the addition of each egg.
Add the egg white last.
Beat until smooth.
Cover lightly and let stand until cool.
Spoon pastry into icing bag with a 1-inch plain piping tube attached and pipe into large puffs on a lightly-greased baking sheet. Do not place too close together.
Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 8 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes longer or until dry.
Do not under cook or they will \"fall\" and be unrecoverable.
As soon as the puffs have been removed from the oven, make a slit in the side of each.
Let cool thoroughly on wire racks.
Filling: Whip the cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Add confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating gently. Add the brandy, a small amount at a time. Fold in the egg white gently, but thoroughly.
Make a small hole in the side of each puff with the tip of a small knife.
Pipe whipped cream into each puff.
Dust generously with confectioners' sugar.