Recipe: Pâte à Choux, or Cream Puffs

I recently participated in the "Shop With the Chef" program at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market in San Francisco. This time of year marks the beginning of the brief cherry season, so it's important to eat as many as you possibly can before they're gone.

Cherries are a tough crop to grow, since a late-season rain can ruin a years worth of work. Luckily this year, the cherries are superb. My favorite cherries are the fat, plump Bing cherries, or the light-colored Rainer and Queen Ann cherries. If you can find them, sour cherries make an unbelievable pie.

Below is the recipe that I made at the farmer's market. The sauteed cherries are simple to make. I used a splash of apple balsamic vinegar from The Apple Farm in Philo, but you can use regular balsamic vinegar. If you want a little project that will keep you happy all year, buy a few pounds of cherries and saute them as directed below. Once they've cooled, freeze them in small yogurt containers, then take them out during the rest of the year for a treat, spooned over ice cream or alongside buttery pound cake. They will keep for about 1 year in the freezer.

Pâte à Choux, or Cream Puffs
20-30 small puffs

1 cup water
3 ounces unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup flour
4 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

1. In a saucepan, heat the water, butter, salt, and sugar.

2. When the butter is melted and the mixture just begins to boil, add the flour all at one and stir continuously until it forms a ball and comes away from the sides.

3. Remove from heat and either by hand or preferably with an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the 4 eggs one at a time until the batter is stiff and shiny. (I break the eggs into a bowl first to insure that no shells get into the pâte à choux).

4. Pipe the pâte à choux onto parchment-lined baking sheets (or drop by spoonfuls) and place in oven. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees.

5. Bake the puffs for about 25-30 minutes, or until they are golden brown on top and up the sides. (If they are not fully cooked, they will collapse). Remove them from the oven, turn the oven off, and poke each puff on the side with a knife to release the steam, which can make them soggy. Return the puffs to the oven for 5 minutes. Cool.

These can be store at room temperature for several hours, or frozen and then later defrosted, and warmed in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes.

Sauteed Cherries

Rinse, stem, and pit one pound of fresh cherries. In a skillet, heat the cherries with 2 tablespoons sugar. Continue to cook until the cherries wilt and are heated through. Add more sugar, if desired. Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon apple-balsamic vinegar, or kirsch. Spoon around cream puffs that have been filled with your favorite vanilla ice cream.