Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's to cards, here's to flowers, here's to candy, here's to LOVE!  Even though you may not receive a card or candy from a special Valentine you can still have a great day.  Treat yourself !  How about a warm mug of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings or toffee chips?  Speaking of whipped cream, why not make a super easy dessert filled with whipped cream?  Cream puffs!  I learned to make these when I worked for friends who owned a catering business.  We occassionally catered weddings and one day a bride from Lithuania came in and wanted a traditional french wedding cake.  WHAT? We had no idea what she was talking about, but we told her "sure, yeah, we can do that."  I went to town on the internet and found a wonderful recipe that I use when I want to make something extra special for dessert.  This recipe is from chef Gale Gand.  I taught my daughter how to make cream puffs when she had to take a dessert to a friend's house for a get together.  I hope you'll try these and enjoy them with friends and family. 

Cream Puffs
For the pate a choux pastry:
1 cup water
1 stick butter (unsalted)
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbs granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 to 4 eggs, plus 1 egg for egg wash

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter, salt and sugar to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.  When it boils, immediately take the pan off the heat. Stirring with a wooden spoon, add all the flour at once and stir hard until all the flour is incorporated, 30 to 60 seconds.  Return the pan to the heat and cook, stirring, 30 seconds to evaporate some of the moisture.

Scrape the mixture into the bowl of a mixer and mix on medium speed.  Working one egg at a time add 3 of the eggs, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each egg addition.  Mix until dough is smooth and glossy and the eggs are completely incorporated.  The dough should fall slowly and steadily from the beaters when you lift them out of the bowl.  If the dough is still clinging to the beaters, add the remaining egg and mix until incorporated.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip, pipe the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper into 2 inch rounds.  Whisk the remaining egg with 1 1/2 tsp water and brush onto the rounds. (You may have egg wash left.)  Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake until puffed up, and light golden brown, about 18-20 minutes more.  Try not to open the oven door too often during baking.  Let cool on baking sheet.

Filling
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla

To fill the cream puffs, use a wooden skewer to poke a hole in the bottom of each puff.  (Swirl the skewer around to make a big enough hole for pastry tip to fit.  Whip the heavy cream with the sugar and vanilla until stiff.  (Don't over whip or the cream will turn into butter!)  Pipe whipped cream into each cream puff and chill until ready to serve. Drizzle with melted chocolate and sprinkle with roasted nuts.