Hello everyone!
Daring Bakers did it again!!!! This is such an awesome challenge!
“Kat of The Bobwhites was our August 2012 Daring Baker hostess who inspired us to have fun in creating pate a choux shapes, filled with crème patisserie or Chantilly cream. We were encouraged to create swans or any shape we wanted and to go crazy with filling flavors allowing our creativity to go wild!”
I’m very glad I had already mastered pate à choux though! It could have been very messy! In fact, it was quite easy! I would have like to try other types of cream, Kat gave us a couple recipes, but I lacked the time 
I will sure be trying them another time! Here is how you do these cute swans (I used Chantilly Cream)!
Filled Pate a Choux Swans
Pate a choux (How to PDF)
Ingredients
½ cup butter
1 cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggsDirections
- Line at least two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- Preheat oven to 375°F .
- In a small saucepot, combine butter, water, and salt. Heat until butter melts, then remove from stove.
- Add flour all at once and beat, beat, beat the mixture until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pot.
- Add one egg, and beat until well combined. Add remaining eggs individually, beating vigorously after each addition. Resulting mixture should be somewhat glossy, very smooth, and somewhat thick.
- Using a ¼” (6 mm) tip on a pastry bag, pipe out about 36 swan heads. You’re aiming for something between a numeral 2 and a question mark, with a little beak if you’re skilled and/or lucky.
- Remove the tip from the bag and pipe out 36 swan bodies. These will be about 1.5” long, and about 1” wide. One end should be a bit narrower than the other.
- Bake the heads and bodies until golden and puffy. The heads will be done a few minutes before the bodies, so keep a close eye on the baking process.
- Remove the pastries to a cooling rack, and let cool completely before filling.
Assembly
- Take a swan body and use a very sharp knife to cut off the top 1/3rd to ½.
- Cut the removed top down the center to make two wings.
- Dollop a bit of filling into the body, insert head, and then add wings.
Chantilly Cream
1 cup cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugarChill medium mixing bowl and whisk in freezer for 10 minutes before beginning. In chilled bowl, whisk cream until it begins to foam and thicken. Add sugar and continue to whisk just until soft peaks form. Do not over-whip.
Wow, those necks are probably the best I’ve seen with the perfect curve and beak. Simply beautiful, great job!
Thank you very much
Very pretty swans, the heads are perfect!
Thank you
Your swans came out perfectly. I too ran out of time to experiement, oh well. That means more baking to come.
Good way to see it
Thank you 
So I see you’ve been told this before, but your swan’s heads are perfect! Awesome job
Yes they seem to be very liked
Thank you 
Beautiful swans, the head/neck is perfect!
Ahahaha thank you
These look so incredibly elegant and pretty. Well done. I joined the Daring Bakers challenge a while back but last time I checked, I hadn’t been accepted to see the special forums there. I’ll have to go peek again to see whether I can join in.
Thank you! That is strange! You should write to them. Normally they wait until the beginning of the next challenge to accept you. Hope you can join soon
Your swans are beautiful! Nicely done.
Thank you Nichole!
I’m impressed with the perfect figure of the swans. They look amazing!!
Thank you so much Renata
Wuauuuuu! Awesome… Sweet!
Thanks
Looks Beautiful !!! Well done on the challenge!!!
Pavithra
http://www.dishesfrommykitchen.com
Thank you Pavithra
I love pate a choux swans. I made them few times myself and they always wow everyone at the dessert table. Yours look beautiful and delicious!
Yes they are very impressive
Thank you 
They’re beautiful!
Thank you
