Instructions: The liquid must be heated to a full boil, meaning there are bubbles all over the pot, not just skirting the edges.

Add the flour all at once and stir madly until every last speck of flour is incorporated, then keep cooking and stirring some more - its this last bit of cooking that will take the raw taste out of the flour; youll know youre ready to quit when the dough forms a ball around your wooden spoon and the bottom of the pan is covered with a light crust.

Dont hesitate - add the eggs to the dough as soon as it comes off the stove and is still very hot.

Beat the eggs in thoroughly with a wooden spoon, spatula, or the paddle attachment of a mixer; dont use a whisk - it will beat in unwanted air.

Stop mixing when you still have one egg left to add and inspect the dough. Depending on the condition of the flour, the room, or the moods of the pastry gods, the dough may or may not need the last egg. The dough is finished when you lift the paddle or spoon and it pulls up some dough that then detaches and forms a slowly bending peak - if you dont get a peak, add another egg. And relax - even if you cant decide what to do, and use the maximum number of eggs, youll still end up with a superior puff,

Use the choux paste while it is still warm. Choux paste cannot be kept.

Un filled baked pastries can be well wrapped and frozen for a few weeks.

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