I think most Asian desserts get a bad reputation because of its own culture’s concept of what a dessert is, compared to those of many other countries. Instead of cakes and creams, many Asian desserts are made from rice, beans, root vegetables, and gelatin. Oddly enough, the sweet buns and tarts that you may see in most Asian bakeries are considered a quick breakfast or a snack.  

When I have more time in the future, I would like to do a showcase of the more traditional Asian desserts such as Chinese sweet soups, Chaozhounese sweet rice, and Pilipino cassava cake.

But as for now, I am trying more fusion recipes – and below is my adaptation of Durian Cream Puffs (or Pate a Choux) from a blog I frequent called Quick ‘n’ easy Treats from Zu’s Kitchen and Mr. Alton Brown.

Cream Puff:
3/4 stick butter
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup flour
4 eggs

            Preheat oven to 425.
            In a small saucepan, bring the water, butter, salt and sugar to a boil. Take saucepan off the flame and pour in the flour while stirring constantly. Put the saucepan back on the stove and continue stirring until a ball forms. Turn off the heat and let the dough cool for several minutes.
            Place the dough into a mixer on low speed. Add one egg at a time, making sure each gets thoroughly incorporated before you add the next. When fully incorporated, transfer the mixture into a piping bag and pipe into whatever size puff you desire. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, and then lower the temperature to 350 for another 10 minutes until golden brown. One you take them out of the oven, make a slit in each puff to release the air in the puff and cool.

Durian Filling:
4 durian pulps
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Castor sugar to taste

            In a food processor, blend the durian pulps until smooth.
            In a cold mixing bowl, beat the whipping cream until peaks form. Fold in the durian pulp. Add sugar for desired sweetness, but if your durian is ripe, sugar is not necessary. Pipe the filling into each puff and enjoy!

I also made these with non-dairy whipping cream, which surprisingly went well because of the lightness of the choux and cream. If you do not have access to durian or do not like it, you can substitute it for whatever flavor you like, or just put a teaspoon of vanilla into the whipping cream for simple vanilla cream puffs.