1 cup water

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Pinch of salt

1 cup flour

4 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup whole milk

2 egg yolks

1/2 tablespoon dark rum

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup heavy cream, whipped

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Maraschino cherries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil.  Remove from heat.  With a wooden spoon, beat in flour all at once.

Return to low heat.  Continue beating until mixture forms a ball and leaves side of pan.  Remove from heat.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating hard after each addition until smooth.  Continue beating until dough is satiny and breaks in strands.  Allow the mixture to cool.

Transfer the dough to a pastry bag with a large star tip.  For each pastry, pipe a 2-1/2 -inch spiral with a raised outer wall on the baking sheet.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.  Remove and allow to cool before filling.

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan.  In a bowl, whisk together milk and egg yolks  Whisk milk mixture into sugar mixture.  Place the saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly.  Boil for 1 minute; remove from heat.  Stir in rum, orange zest, and vanilla.  Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface. Allow to cool for 30 minutes and then refrigerate until cold.  Fold in the whipped cream.

Cut the pastries in half horizontally.  Transfer the filling mixture to a pastry bag with a star tip.  Pipe some of the filling onto the cut side of the bottom half of each pastry.  Place the top half of the pastry on the filling.

Pipe a small amount of the filling into the hole in the center of each pastry.

Place a maraschino cherry in the middle.  Dust the pastries with confectioners’ sugar.