“Corn is definitely having a moment right now in desserts,” Rebecca Freeman says. “Everywhere I look, there’s a corn cookie or corn ice cream.” Her blue corn cream puffs were inspired by the corn husk meringue dish at Cosme, in New York City, where the meringue is filled with a sweet corn mousse. “I liked the idea of pairing two corn items together to make a composed dish with opposing yet complementary flavors—the earthy blue corn and the salty-sweet pastry cream.”

CREAM PUFFS

  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 tablespoons blue cornmeal
  • 4 eggs

PASTRY CREAM

  • 1 ear sweet corn, shucked
  • 2 cups milk
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 4 egg yolks
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • Jam or fresh fruit, optional 

Makes 24

CREAM PUFFS

  1. Preheat oven to 400°.
  2. Combine water, butter, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer.
  3. Once simmering, reduce heat to low and add the flour and cornmeal all at once. Stir until the flour is completely incorporated. It should look like mashed potatoes.
  4. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment (or mix by hand). Allow to cool for a few minutes and then slowly add one egg at a time, scraping the mixture from the sides of the bowl between each addition.
  5. Transfer the dough to a piping bag with a round piping tip, and pipe 24 two-inch dollops onto parchment-lined baking trays.
  6. Bake cream puffs for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
  7. Allow to cool completely before filling.

PASTRY CREAM

  1. Grill or roast corn until slightly charred and golden. Allow it to cool, then cut off corn kernels and rough chop. Reserve in a large bowl.
  2. In a medium saucepan, heat milk to a simmer.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together cornstarch, sugar, and yolks until the mixture is pale and fluffy.
  4. Slowly pour the milk into yolk mixture, whisking constantly, until combined. Then pour mixture back in the saucepan and return to medium heat, whisking continuously until thick.
  5. Remove from heat and whisk in salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and butter until combined, then pass the cream through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl. Fold in corn.
  6. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the pastry cream and cool bowl over an ice bath for at least 20 minutes.

ASSEMBLY

  1. When ready to serve, cut cream puffs in half like hamburger buns.
  2. Place pastry cream in a piping bag.
  3. Fill each cream puff with 2–3 table-spoons of pastry cream. Add dollop of jam or fresh fruit, if desired.

This recipe originally appeared in “Dig In” by Jeniffer Levin.