Growing Up in Nonya kitchen

My mother always made cream puffs for my birthday parties. My mother’s cream puffs
were dainty and the custard was creamy. Yet, today, I still appreciate the somewhat
inferior, localised version of large, flat and almost soggy cream puffs with hardened yellow
custard, almost of a jello consistency. The best of these could be found at the landmark
Red House Bakery along East Coast Road and now at nearby Chin Mee Chin Confectionery.

Since Singapore did not use fresh milk cream heavily in the old days, especially since
it would get stale very quickly in the tropical heat, my mother’s filling was derived
from evaporated milk. My mother’s recipe also called for baking powder which in most
traditional choux pastry recipes, is not required.

90 g or 3 ounces plain flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3 small eggs

¾ cup evaporated milk
¾ cup water
30 g or 1 ounce butter
60 g or 2 ounces flour
45 g or 1½ ounces sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ tablespoon brandy

2. Add water to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Drop in the
cubes of butter and stir until the butter melts. Add the flour
and baking powder, a little at a time, and stir gently until
the paste leaves the sides of the saucepan. Leave to cool
for approximately 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Add the vanilla essence, followed by the eggs, one at
a time, stirring continuously to ensure that each egg is
fully absorbed.

4. Drop a teaspoon of the pastry dough onto a tray lined
with parchment paper. Repeat. Bake in the oven for 25 to
30 minutes until the pastry is light brown. Remove tray
from the oven and cool completely.

1. Combine the milk and water in a saucepan and bring to
a gentle boil. Quickly lower the heat and bring the mixture
to a simmer, being careful not to have the milk boil over.
Add the butter, flour and sugar and stir until the sugar
dissolves and the mixture is smooth. Add vanilla essence,
egg and brandy. Remove saucepan from heat and let
mixture cool or refrigerate to chill.

2. Use a paring knife or scissors, make a slit in each puff.
Scoop custard filling into a piping bag (or a plastic bag with
a corner snipped to make a 1 cm or ½ inch hole). To avoid
making the cream puffs soggy, fill each puff with some
custard just before serving.