# What You’ll Need:
→ Choux Pastry
01 - 1/2 cup water
02 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
04 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
05 - 2 large eggs
→ Pastry Cream
06 - 1 cup whole milk
07 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
08 - 2 large egg yolks
09 - 2 tablespoons cornstarch
10 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
11 - 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
→ Decoration
12 - Powdered sugar, for dusting
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a saucepan, combine water, butter, and salt; bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat; add flour all at once, stirring vigorously until dough forms and pulls away from sides. Return to low heat and stir 1-2 minutes to dry slightly. Transfer dough to a bowl and cool for 2 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time until smooth and glossy. Pipe 12 oval shapes (3 inches long) for bodies and 12 S-shaped necks (2 inches long) on parchment. Bake bodies 25–28 minutes until golden and puffed; bake necks 12–15 minutes until set and lightly golden. Cool completely.
02 - Heat milk in a saucepan until just simmering. In a bowl, whisk sugar, egg yolks, and cornstarch until pale. Gradually whisk hot milk into yolk mixture. Return to saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking, until thickened (2–3 minutes). Remove from heat; whisk in vanilla and butter. Transfer to bowl, cover surface with plastic wrap, and chill until cool.
03 - Slice each choux body horizontally; cut the top half lengthwise to form wings. Pipe or spoon pastry cream onto the bottom half. Insert neck vertically at one end; arrange wings on either side. Repeat for all swans.
04 - Lightly dust assembled swans with powdered sugar before serving.
