Salted Caramel Cream Puffs

Instructions

1. In a 2-cup glass measuring cup, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water. Place in the microwave, and set to cook for 5 minutes on HIGH. Park a chair next to the microwave and keep a close eye on the cup. Seriously, do not walk away.
2. As soon as it starts to turn an amber color (it will go from amber to black very quickly), stop the microwave and with heavy oven mitts, remove the glass from the microwave.
3. In another measuring cup, stir together cream and vanilla extract. Slowly drizzle it into the caramel -- the caramel will bubble up rapidly. Whisk until the cream is fully incorporated. Add the butter, and stir until fully incorporated. Set aside to cool.
4. To make the pastry cream, place the half-and-half in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, flour and sugar. Whisk constantly until the mixture is pale yellow and slightly thickened, until the half-and-half starts scalding (little bubbles will form at the edges of the pan). Use a ladle or measuring cup to very slowly drizzle about a quarter of the hot liquid into the egg mixture, then pour all of the egg/half-and-half mixture back into the saucepan.
5. Stir with a wooden spoon for 3 to 5 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla extract, and about ½ a cup of the salted caramel.
6. Pour the pastry cream into a storage container, and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.
7. Make the cream puffs: preheat oven to 425 degrees.
8. Bring water, butter, and salt or sugar to a boil in a heavy-duty saucepan over high heat. Add flour and work mixture together until it forms a ball. Continue working the mixture in the pot, until most of the moisture is boiled out. Poke your finger in the dough. It should be shiny (from the butter), but not wet from water. The dough will start to leave a film on the bottom of the pan.
9. Transfer mixture into bowl of a standing mixer and let cool for 3 or 4 minutes.
10. With mixer on stir or lowest speed add eggs, 1 at a time, making sure the first egg is completely incorporated before continuing.
11. Once all eggs have been added and the mixture is smooth put dough into piping bag fitted with a plain round tip with a ½-inch opening.
12. Pipe dough into golfball-size rounds, 2 inches apart, onto parchment lined sheet pans. (TIP: Pipe a small dollop of dough directly onto the cookie sheet, then place parchment on top — then the parchment won’t lift off the cookie sheet when you pipe your cream puffs.)
13. Continue with the remaining dough. When finished, dip your finger in warm water, and gently press down on the tops of the cream puffs, to remove the “hat” that forms when you lift the pastry tip away from the piped cream puff.
14. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees F and bake for 10 more minutes or until golden brown. Once they are removed from the oven, pierce with a paring knife immediately to release steam, and cool completely on a wire rack.
15. Spoon the pastry cream into pastry bag fitted with small round tip.
16. Insert tip into bottom of cream puff and gently squeeze to push cream into pastry. The pastry is full when it feels heavy, and the tip pushes itself out of the pastry.
17. Refrigerate the cream puffs while you make the ganache.
18. Place the chopped chocolate in a small mixing bowl.
19. Place the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring just to scalding.
20. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let stand for a minute, then whisk until smooth.
21. Dip the tops of the cream puffs into the chocolate ganache, and place on a sheet of parchment or wax paper to let the ganache set.
22. Store finished pastries in the refrigerator, or freeze for up to 3 months, tightly sealed.