Puff Shells
By: Amy Jeanroy
Published: Saturday, February 13, 2010 - 6:24am

Ingredients




1 cup water
1/4 cup butter - (1 stick) cut into quarters
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs room temperature

Preparation

1 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 2 In a medium saucepan, bring the water, butter, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the flour all at once and stir quickly with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball; remove pan from the heat. 3 Add 1 egg and beat with the wooden spoon to blend. Add the remaining eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. When the dough is smooth, spoon 1/4-cup mounds of dough onto a cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches between each dough mound. 4 Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden and puffy. Transfer the puffs to a wire rack and let cool completely. With a sharp knife, cut puffs in half horizontally before filling. 5 For Lunch or Dinner: Fill puffs with tuna, chicken, egg, or seafood salad. 6 For Dessert: Fill puffs with pudding, mousse, or custard and top with whipped cream, chocolate chips or other garnishes. 7 This recipe yields 12 puffs. 8 Comments: To make mini puff shells, drop the dough by tablespoonfuls and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden. 9 Yield: 12 puffs