Smoked Salmon Puffs (video)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425F/218C and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Prepare a large pastry bag tipped with a star tip, I used Ateco tip #847. Place the butter into a medium-sized saucepan and melt it over medium heat. Add the water and salt to the melted butter and allow the mixture to come to a simmer. Add the flour in all at once and whisk for about 20 seconds, until a dough ball forms. Switch over to a spatula and continue mixing and pressing the dough for about 30 seconds.
2. Allow the dough to cool for about 20 minutes, until it's just lukewarm to touch. Begin adding the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition; do this with a hand whisk or hand-held mixer. The dough will look funny at first but keep mixing; it will come together after the last egg is added. Transfer the dough into the prepared pastry bag. Pipe medium-sized dollops onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1-inch apart. Watch my video recipe to see how it's done.
3. Bake the puffs in the preheated oven at 425F/218C for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375F/190C and continue baking for another 35 to 40 minutes, until the puffs are a deep, golden color. Do not open the oven door at any time during the baking process, otherwise the pastries will fall flat! Remove the puffs from the oven and let them cool completely. Once cooled, use a serrated knife to cut the puffs in half but not all the way through; cut 2/3 into each puff. Watch my video recipe to see how it's done.
4. For the smoked salmon filling, first place the softened cream cheese into a mixer bowl and whisk on medium speed for a few minutes, until the cheese is creamy and smooth. Add in the chilled heavy cream and salt and whisk again on medium-high speed for 3 to 4 minutes, or until stiff peaks form. Chop the smoked salmon into pea-sized pieces and finely chop the dill. Add the salmon, dill and paprika into the cream filling and fold thoroughly with a spatula. Transfer the filling into a plastic bag or pastry bag for easier filling.
5. For filling the salmon puffs, gently open the puff shell and fill it entirely with the smoked salmon filling, then gently close. I like to pipe extra cream so it's visible from the outside. Keep the puffs refrigerated if not serving right away. These savory profiteroles are great to make ahead of time, too! Just fill them, place into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

• Course : Appetizers, Main Dish
• Recipe Type : Dinner, Lunch, Pastries, Seafood Recipes, Snacks and Small Bites, Video