Taro Milk Tea Cream Puffs

Pâte à Choux:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium pot, combine butter, milk, water, sugar, and salt. Over medium heat, melt butter and let mixture just begin to boil.
3. Remove pot from heat and add flour to liquid mixture all at once. With a wooden spoon, quickly stir until thoroughly combined and the mixture forms a ball.
   NOTE: Make sure to find and incorporate any hidden clumps of flour.
4. Place pot back on medium heat. Continuously mix with wooden spoon until dough reads 175°F on an instant-read thermometer. (This step helps dry out the dough, which is vital.)
   NOTE: No thermometer? No problem. Look for a starchy film to form inside the pan and for the dough to pull together. This takes roughly 3 minutes.
5. Transfer dough to bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on medium until dough registers 145°F. (Before continuing on, the dough should still be warm but no longer steaming. You don’t want it to cook the eggs!)
6. Crack eggs into a liquid measuring cup or another small vessel with a spout. Lightly whisk together.
7. With mixer on medium-low speed, slowly stream in one third of the whisked eggs. After the egg is incorporated, scrape down bowl as necessary. Repeat 2 more times until all eggs have been added.
8. Scrape down bowl, then beat dough on medium speed for 10–20 seconds.
9. Fit a piping bag with a large round piping tip. (We used an Ateco 807 tip.) Transfer pâte à choux to piping bag. Pipe 12 mounds onto prepared baking sheet, leaving plenty of space between the puffs.
   NOTE: If your mounds have little points, gently flatten ‘em with a wet fingertip.
10. Bake for 35 minutes. Puffs are done when they feel hollow, are golden brown, and are… well… puffy.
11. Remove puffs from oven. Using a paring knife, poke a small vent into the side of each puff. (This allows the steam to escape more easily.) Place puffs back on baking sheet.
12. Turn off oven. Return puffs to warm oven and leave ‘em in there with the door propped open for 30 minutes. (This helps them dry out even more.)
13. After their second oven visit, if the puffs are still warm, transfer to wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Brown Sugar Boba:

1. Pour water into a large pot, then place over high heat.
2. When the water begins to boil, gently stir in tapioca pearls. Once the boba have floated to the top, cover pot and turn heat down to medium-low.
3. Continue simmering for 30 minutes. Do not remove the lid, as that will release the heat and steam.
4. After 30 minutes, turn off heat. Allow boba to rest for 30 minutes.
5. Gently rinse boba with warm water to remove excess starch. Drain boba and pour into a bowl. While boba is still warm, stir in brown sugar.
6. Set aside and allow to cool completely.

Taro Milk Tea Cream:

1. In a medium heatproof bowl, microwave ½ cup (114g) cream in 15-second increments until hot. Add 2 packets of taro milk tea mix into hot cream, whisking until dissolved and smooth.
2. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, transfer to fridge to chill for 30–60 minutes. (At this stage, we affectionately call the mixture “taro goop.”)
3. Place metal mixing bowl and whisk attachment in freezer.
4. After taro goop has chilled, retrieve from fridge. Whisk in ½ cup (114g) COLD cream. Return to fridge.
5. In the chilly bowl of a stand mixer fitted with cold whisk attachment, whip remaining 1 cup (227g) COLD heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
6. Add taro mixture in 3 or 4 additions, whipping after each.
7. Place taro milk tea cream into fridge until you’re ready to assemble your cream puffs.

Assembly & Decoration:

1. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut tops off cooled puffs. Set choux hats aside.
2. Fit a piping bag with a medium round piping tip. (We used an Ateco 803 tip.) Transfer taro milk tea cream to piping bag.
3. Pipe some taro cream into each puff, but don’t fill all the way quite yet.
4. Gently plop some pearls on top of the taro cream.
5. Pipe more taro cream over pearls and a wee bit above the brim of your sliced puff. Place choux hat on top of taro cream.
6. If desired, dust puffs with taro milk tea mix powder or confectioners’ sugar. Serve immediately.