Shoo (Cream Puff Pastry aka Pâte à Choux)

Shoo is very popular in Georgia. The pasty is very light, airy, and you can't help to eat more than one at a time. As promised, here is the recipe. This recipe makes 7-8 pieces.

Ingredients
Batter

• 1/2 cup of water
• 50 grams of butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2-3 eggs

Cream (In Georgia we call this type of cream a 'boiled cream')

• 2 cups of milk
• 1/2 cup flour
• Less than 1/2 cup sugar
• 2/3 stick of butter
• Vanilla

Ganache (optional)

• 3 tbs cocoa
• 5 tbs milk
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1/3 stick of butter

Preparations
Batter: Boil the water in a pot and add the butter. After butter is melted set the heat to low and gradually add flour and stir. Remove the dough from the heat and start adding eggs, one at a time, while vigorously stirring the dough quickly with a wooden spoon (See the image below). When you add the first egg the batter might separate in chunks but it will come together after the stirring. The consistency needs to be thick so that when you scoop it out on a cooking sheet it stays firm.

Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Start scooping out the batter using a large spoon and placing it on a cookie sheet as shown in the image below. Shoo should be done when the dough turns a golden color, about 30 minutes.

Boiled Cream: Place the milk in a pot on a medium heat. After the milk is warm (before it starts to boil) start adding flour and sugar mixture slowly and mix it constantly with a whisk. After all the flour and sugar is mixed, let it simmer for 5 minutes. You will know if it's done when the flour taste has left the cream. Next, poor the cream in a different container and let it cool completely. You may put it in the fridge but make sure to stir once in a while to prevent clumping.

After the cream has cooled completely begin whipping the butter (soft, at room temperature). Add the boiled cream, little by little, until it's all mixed, then add vanilla. The cream should come out very fluffy.

After Shoo is completely cooled, start preparing it to add the filling. Use a knife and slice the shoo in half without going all the way through, then fill the opening with a cream (see the image below). After you filled all the shoo take the powdered sugar and ganache and decorate the shoo before serving.

Ganache (optional): Take a small pan and mix coco powder with sugar. Add milk and put it on medium heat. After it boils let is simmer and add butter. Let is simmer 3-5 minutes until it thickens. You can drizzle the ganache on the assembled shoo and then sprinkle on powder sugar. Enjoy!

Grilled Salmon with Wild Rice and Asparagus

We are enjoying our charcoal grill so far and we use it almost every weekend. This time we purchased salmon from Market Street and grilled the filets on a cedar plank. First, we soaked the cedar in red wine and water for two hours. The salmon was seasoned with salt and pepper then placed on the cedar plank and onto the grill. The coals were set at the lowest position. The salmon was cooked until it just began pulling apart, but not so long as to dry out the meat. The cooked salmon had a wonderful flavor, and infusion of the wine, cedar, and the salmon's natural oils.