The first thing I did when I received my pitaya powder was create these naturally pink cream puffs. I named the dessert Amoroso pink because it means “love pink” in Italian. Super straightforward and simple, because if you want to eat this dessert just based on its appearance, chances are, you love the color pink. It’s such a perfect dessert for Pinktober too, which is why I opted to make this, in honor of breast cancer survivors, such as my mom, who is a two-time survivor. 

I used the pitaya powder to dye my pate choux’s sablage, or a shortbread-type of crust, since that powder would guarantee that the pastry will have this vibrant pink color. And trust me, it did not disappoint. While maybe 40% of the pink color baked off, what remained was still a pleasant pink that I was going for with the pastry. For the filling, I went with a raspberry lemon curd, since that would be simple enough to prepare, but it would taste delicious and play off of the sweetness of Chantilly cream and the butteriness of the choux pastry and sablage exactly the way I need it to.

For the sablage:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon freeze-dried pitaya powder
a pinch of salt

Combine ingredients, and chill down the dough. Roll it out on a floured surface and continue to chill down the dough until it is time to bake.

For the choux:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 eggs

Bring water and butter to a simmer. Once the butter is fully melted, add in the flour. Mix together, then take off heat and incorporate 1 egg at a time. Pipe onto a lined baking sheet. Cut out 2 inch circles out of the sablage dough and place on top of the choux. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, then turn off the oven, and leave the dough in there for another 10 minutes to ensure that the choux will not collapse.

For the curd:
3 tablespoons cornstarch
zest and juice from 2 lemons
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup raspberry puree
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and lemon juice. Pour into a pot with the zest, sugar, and raspberry puree and whisk until thick. Add in the butter and whisk until incorporated. Pass through a strainer to finish. Transfer to a piping bag and refrigerate until the mixture is thickened and set.

For the chantilly:
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whip until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag.

To garnish:
Freeze dried pitaya powder

To assemble:
Make a hole in the bottom of the choux and inject the filling inside of the puff. Pipe the cream and dust with pitaya powder to finish.