Cooking Lesson #275: King's Hawaiian Dessert Puffs

…from the California Kitchen

How you doin’? Got a plan for dessert tonight? Here’s one for you—King's Hawaiian Dessert Puffs, and these are fit for a royal Hawaiian court.
 
I just thought you might want to know… whenever I recommend a particular ingredient or product it’s not because I am compensated for the mention—I am not. Our Covid-19 Survival Guide is a non-sponsored blog. I only suggest the products that I use myself at home or in the test kitchen. In the case of King’s Hawaiian, they have been a client in the past; we have not been their consultants for several years. In this blog, King's Hawaiian Dessert Puffs, I recommend King’s Hawaiian Original Dinner Rolls.  I do so because they are great and easy to use.
 
Why King’s Hawaiian? Because they’re formulations are sweeter than other breads and they are just plain wonderful. This style of bread started in Hilo, Hawaii (by way of Portugal—it used to be call Portuguese Sweet Bread) where Robert Taira, the Hawaiian-born son of Japanese immigrants graduated at the top of his baking class. He opened his first bakeshop, Robert’s Bakery, where he baked the first soft round loaves of the Original Hawaiian Sweet Bread. According to locals, the loaves rarely ever made it home before being devoured. Through the support of his family, hard work and his steadfast commitment to delivering a quality, irresistible product, Robert had successfully created a traditional island favorite.
 
In 1977 Robert’s son, Mark, brought a taste of aloha spirit to Torrance, California.  When King’s Hawaiian first started distribution in NorCal, I used their pillow loaf as a table starter at The Customs House Restaurants. I loved the taste and the versatility—you can eat it fresh out of the foil tin with a little soft butter or make a great French toast or even make a scrumptious Hawaiian-style bread pudding. It is my soft-style go-to-bread for all occasions.
 
Now here is a new use for the dinner rolls as a short cut to making quick, delicious dessert puffs. My take on this recipe is a little bit different than most—I fry the bread before I fill it to crisp the crusts just a little. Read the ChefSecret for even more shortcuts.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Fry time:  2 to 3 minutes
Assembly time:  10 minutes
Yield:  12 cream puffs
 
Ingredients
Vegetable oil for frying, plus 2 tablespoons more for the chocolate coating
1 package King's Hawaiian Original Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls—12 rolls
8 ounces dark chocolate chips, melted
10 ounces whipped cream, store bought aerosol or home whipped
Confectioners’ sugar
 
Directions

1. Heat vegetable oil in a medium size pot or kettle to 350⁰ F (no higher—use a candy or frying thermometer).
2. Cut the rolls in half, separating tops from bottoms.
3. Fry the cut roll for barely 1 minute, just to crisp.
4. Using tongs remove the pieces from the fryer, drain and cool on paper towels.
5. Melt the chocolate chips with two tablespoon of vegetable oil in a double boiler or gently in the microwave oven. Stir well to incorporate the oil thoroughly.
6. Place a roll bottom on a serving plate.
7. Dip the top of the roll into the melted chocolate.
8. Top the bottom half of the roll with whipped cream—make it a heaping filling.
9. Put the chocolate-dipped lid on top of the whipped cream.
10. Using a sifter, sprinkle with a little confectioner’s sugar.
11. Serve immediately.

ChefSecret: You can simplify this recipe by not frying the rolls at all and just cutting and filling them. You can also toast the top of each half in the broiler of an oven. It all depends on the texture you desire and the time and clean-up you want to contend with.
 
There are other great filling choices—both sweet (pudding, custard, pastry cream or ice cream) or savory (chili, creamed chicken or barbecued pulled pork). I like to make a quick and easy Hawaiian Strawberry Short Cake with whipped cream or even a Pineapple version to make it absolutely Hawaiian.
 
Covid-19 Quip of the Day: “My smart refrigerator just groaned, rolled its monitor eyes and hissed at me. I asked, 'what’s wrong now?' 'Not you again, fatso,' it replied. 'Go get a job and stop snacking!'
-------------------------------------------
Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to share a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  Send your thoughts to [email protected].  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. We added a new search feature to make it easier to navigate through our blogs. 
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Desserts #CreamPuff #KingsHawaiian #DessertPuff #WhippedCream #Chocolate #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                             ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

---