Meyer Lemon Cream Puffs

Lemon Curd

Whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and eggs in a medium saucepan on the stove. Cook over low heat (so you don't cook the eggs!), whisking constantly until thickened. Then add the butter pieces a few at a time, whisking constantly until melted in.

Keep whisking until the curd is smooth and thickened and coats the back of a spoon.

Strain the lemon curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl.

Put plastic wrap directly on the top of the lemon curd so a film doesn't form on top. Chill in the fridge until cold, at least 1 hour.

Cream Puff Pastry (choux pastry dough)

Preheat the oven to 425°F and line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper. This recipe makes about 24 puffs so it will take 3 batches to bake with 8 per baking sheet.

Add the water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt to a medium saucepan on the stove and mix over medium to high heat. Bring to a boil and then remove from heat.

Add flour and quickly stir into the mixture. It really starts to form more of a dough at this point.

Return pan back to the stovetop on medium heat and stir constantly for a few minutes, cooking until mixture pulls away from the pan and a film forms on the bottom of the pan. This happened pretty quickly for me.

Transfer the dough to a stand mixer or bowl and beat on low speed for 3-4 minutes until the mixture has cooled. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat on medium speed until each is fully mixed in. Mix until shiny and almost ribbon-like.

Place the dough in a pastry bag with a round tip. Pipe round circles spaced at least 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Try not to pull up and leave a peak, but you can smooth down with your finger if needed.

Place one baking sheet at a time in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 375°F and continue baking for another 5-10 minutes, until golden and airy. Keep an eye on them because they brown quickly! Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Repeat the piping for the rest of the dough and make sure your oven heats back up to 425°F before the next pan goes in.

Whipped Cream

Put the heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl and begin whipping at medium speed. Add the powdered sugar and continue to whip on medium speed. Add the vanilla and whip the cream on medium-high speed until nice and fluffy.

Assembly

Once your puffs have cooled, cut them open with a serrated knife, trying to keep the top slightly attached. Your puffs should be airy inside with some nice holes to work with.

At first, I placed a dollop of curd and swirled some whipped cream inside from a pastry bag. It worked fine but I really wanted to get equal amounts of whipped cream and lemon curd in each bite. So, I filled my pastry bag with half whipped cream and half lemon curd. It worked perfectly, like a swirl of frozen yogurt with two flavors. Yum!! Sprinkle with a little powdered sugar and enjoy!