Recipe: Custard-Filled Cream Puffs with Blueberry Sauce (low fat, low sugar)

CUSTARD-FILLED CREAM PUFFS WITH BLUEBERRY SAUCE

Cream Puffs (recipe follows)
1 teaspoon Equal for Recipes (or 3 packets Equal sweetener)
Vanilla Custard (recipe follows)
Blueberry Sauce (recipe follows)
Light whipped topping, as garnish

Make 8 Cream Puffs, substituting 1 teaspoon Equal for Recipes for the sugar. Fill puffs with Vanilla Custard; serve with Blueberry Sauce and garnish with dollops of light whipped topping.

Makes 8 servings

Per Serving: Calories: 325, % Calories from fat: 38, Fat (gm): 13.4, Saturated fat (gm): 4.7, Cholesterol (mg): 161.3, Sodium (mg): 328, Protein (gm): 12.6, Carbohydrate (gm): 36.5

Exchanges: Milk: 0.0, Vegetable: 0.0, Fruit: 0.5, Bread: 2.5, Meat: 1.0, Fat: 2.5

CREAM PUFFS

These low fat cream puffs can be baked into many different shapes and sizes to create numerous desserts, or simply fill with no-sugar-added low fat ice cream, light whipped topping, or pudding, and dust with powdered sugar.

1 cup fat-free milk
3 tablespoons margarine
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2 egg whites or 1/4 cup no-cholesterol real egg product

Heat milk and margarine to boiling in medium saucepan. Add combined flour, sugar, and salt all at once, and stir over medium heat until mixture leaves side of pan and forms a ball, 1 to 2 minutes; remove from heat and allow to cool 5 minutes.

Beat in eggs and egg whites 1 at a time, beating until mixture is smooth after each addition. Drop dough by spoonfuls or pipe with large pastry bag fitted with 1/2-inch plain tip, to form large or mini cream puffs on parchment-lined or greased and floured cookie sheets. Gently smooth tops of cream puffs with pastry brush or fingers dipped in cold water.

Bake at 400 degrees 15 minutes for large cream puffs, 10 minutes for small cream puffs; reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake until cream puffs are golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes for large cream puffs, 15 to 20 minutes for small cream puffs. Remove from oven; pierce side of each puff with sharp knife and cool on wire rack.

Cut top third off cream puffs and remove any soft dough from insides. Return to oven and bake at 325 degrees to dry insides, 3 or 4 minutes.

VANILLA CUSTARD
Makes about 4 cups

1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups fat-free milk
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 teaspoons Equal for Recipes (or 12 packets Equal sweetener)
2 cups light whipped topping

Whisk cornstarch, flour, and milk over medium-high heat in medium saucepan until mixture boils and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk about 1 cup milk mixture into egg yolks; whisk egg mixture into saucepan. Whisk over low heat until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in margarine, vanilla, and Equal for Recipes.

Cool custard to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Cover top of custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours. Whisk custard until fluffy; fold in light whipped topping.

BLUEBERRY SAUCE
Makes about 2 cups

2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 3/4 teaspoons Equal for Recipes (or 6 packets Equal sweetener)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups fresh, or frozen, blueberries

Whisk cornstarch, Equal for Recipes, cinnamon, apple juice, and lemon juice over medium heat in small saucepan until mixture boils and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in blueberries; cook over low heat until berries are tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve warm, or refrigerate and serve chilled.

Source: 1,001 Delicious Desserts for People With Diabetes by Sue Spitler, Linda R. Yoakam, Linda Eugene