Pear compote and Profiterole

From the previous dessert--the Saint-Honore--I had some extra choux shells on hand.  

Choux shells are versatile in sweet or savory applications.  They can be filled with mousse or ice creams for dessert;  with creamy potato salads or savory cheese fillings as fancy hors d'oevoures.

I had used up all the pastry cream, but had plenty of the Tahitian vanilla ice cream (homemade of course).  To spice things up,I mixed in freshly ground cardamom into the ice cream.  I sliced up the Bosc pear compote (poached in Chardonnary).  The sauces (Merlot sauce and rum-caramel sauce here) are spooned onto the plates before the various components are placed.  Doing this accomplishes two things (I believe...):  #1. Anchors the components onto the plates, so they won't slide around. #2. Each component stands out, instead of being obscured by the sauce.

For garnish, I used the Citrus mint that Mom got the other day.  This variety of mint has a lemon-y aftertaste.  To me, it tastes more like basil than a mint.



Both sauces went really well with the pears and the profiteroles.  I love being able to make our own ice creams, thanks to the hand-cranked ice cream maker we bought at a thrift store.  It guarantees freshness, has no preservatives, and having control over what goes into the ice cream is a relief.  I'm thinking about making vegan ice creams in the future.

I have a dear family member whose children have severe allergies.  One of the children is allergic to eggs, and she asked me if I can tell her how to make egg-free cream puffs. 

Honestly, I don't know if that's even possible.  Eggs are what causes the choux dough to expand and create those air pockets in the cream puffs.  Can egg replacers--or any substitutes for that matter--mimic the phenomenon?  Well....there's only one way to find out, right???