Japanese tempura, p. 214). If a batter stands
for a long time before the food is dipped and
fried, many of its air and gas bubbles can leak
out, and some of the remaining chemical
leavening reacts too early; the result is a
dense casing rather than a light puff.
The Logic of Cream Puff Pastry
The technique for preparing cream puff
pastry may seem tediously elaborate, but
it’s a brilliant invention. It produces an
especially rich and moist paste that the
cook can shape and cook into a hollow,
crisp vessel for other ingredients. Cooking
the flour with water and fat tenderizes the
gluten proteins, preventing them from
developing elasticity, and it swells and
gelates the starch to turn what would
normally be a batter into a dough. The
subsequent addition of raw eggs
contributes the richness of the yolks and
the cohesive, structure-building proteins of