Pumpkin Mousse Cream Puffs With Maple Caramel Sauce Recipes

PUMPKIN-FILLED CREAM PUFFS WITH MAPLE-CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
• To make the Cream Puffs: In a medium saucepan combine water, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to boiling over medium heat. Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball and pulls away from the side of the pan. Remove from heat; cool for 10 minutes. Add eggs one at a time beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition.
• Drop 8 heaping tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown and firm. Transfer cream puffs to a wire rack and let cool.
• To make the Pumpkin Mousse Filling: using a chilled large mixing bowl beat 1 cup whipping cream, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice with the chilled beaters of an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form (tips curl). Fold in 1 cup canned pumpkin. Cover and chill for up to 4 hours.
• To make the Maple-Caramel sauce: In a small heavy saucepan stir together 1/2 cup packed brown sugar and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Stir in 1/3 cup half-and-half or light cream, 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon butter.
• Cook and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly (mixture may appear curdled before it bubbles). Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat; stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
• Using a serrated knife, cut each cream puff in half horizontally; remove soft dough from inside. Fill cream puffs with Pumpkin Mousse. Replace tops. Spoon some of the warm Maple-Caramel Sauce onto eight dessert plates; sprinkle with some of the toasted pecans.
• Place a filled cream puff on top of the sauce on each plate. Drizzle each cream puff with remaining sauce and sprinkle with remaining pecans. Cover and chill for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

PUMPKIN CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Place the butter, water, and salt in a heavy saucepan, and bring to a full rolling boil. Stir in the flour and beat vigorously until the mixture forms a ball. Place the dough ball in a mixing bowl, and beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding the next egg when the last one has been fully incorporated.
• Drop dough by tablespoons onto an ungreased baking sheet, and bake until the puffs rise and are golden brown on top, with fully-cooked insides, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool before filling. Cut the cream puffs horizontally with a serrated knife.
• To make filling, place the cream in the work bowl of an electric mixer, and whip until beginning to thicken, about 1 minute. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and pumpkin pie spice until well-mixed, and continue mixing until the cream forms soft peaks, about 3 minutes.
• Use a rubber spatula or wire whisk to fold 1/3 of the pumpkin puree into the whipped cream. Gently run the spatula through the center of the bowl, then around the sides of the bowl, repeating until fully incorporated. Add the remaining pumpkin puree, folding just until incorporated.
• Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the pumpkin cream filling into each puff, and dust the top of each puff with confectioners' sugar and a pinch of pumpkin pie spice for garnish. Refrigerate leftovers.

PUMPKIN CUSTARD PROFITEROLES WITH MAPLE CARAMEL

Steps:

• For maple caramel:
• Stir sugar and butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until blended and smooth. Whisk in cream. Bring to boil, stirring until caramel bits dissolve. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in bourbon and vanilla; simmer 1 minute. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• For pumpkin custard:
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Whisk cream and next 6 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Whisk sugar and egg yolks in medium bowl. Gradually stir hot pumpkin mixture into egg yolk mixture.
• Pour pumpkin custard into 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish; cover with foil. Place dish in 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Fill baking pan with enough hot water to come halfway up sides of dish. Bake until custard is set in center, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool completely. Cover and chill until cold, at least 4 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.)
• For profiteroles:
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Bring 1/2 cup water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt to boil in heavy large saucepan. Stir in flour; cook over medium-high heat, stirring vigorously, until dough is smooth and pulls away from sides of pan, about 1 minute. Transfer hot mixture to standing mixer. Beat dough with paddle attachment at medium speed until slightly cool, about 3 minutes. Add 3 eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Beat in egg yolk until blended.
• Spoon 16 mounds of batter about the size of large eggs onto prepared sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Beat remaining egg in small bowl to blend. Brush tops of profiteroles lightly with beaten egg. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 375°F. Continue baking until puffed and dark golden brown, about 30 minutes longer. Transfer to rack to cool completely. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container in freezer. Remove from freezer a few hours before continuing.)
• Rewarm caramel sauce. Using serrated knife, slice profiteroles horizontally in half. Spoon rounded 1/3 cup filling into bottom half of each profiterole. Cover with top halves. Drizzle with sauce. Spoon dollop of whipped cream atop profiteroles. Sprinkle with chopped pecans and serve.