Croquembouche
French pastry is the ultimate way of making desserts! And it’s not just me saying it! The thing with French pastry though is not only that it produces great desserts, but also the fact that learning a certain technique can prove useful later on or it can lead the way to another great technique. I do find pastry to be extremely logical once you learn all the bases. One thing leads to another then another and before you know you’ve progressed quite a lot on this path. It’s pretty amazing! It does take time though… and dedication, motivation, passion and everything in between!
But the ultimate choux dessert is definitely a croquembouche. I’ve made this before, but definitely not at this level. My first attempt was more in the beginner levels. The first time, I didn’t use a cone support at all and although the construction proved ok, using a support for your dessert is the way to go if you’re looking for a stable croquembouche. Especially when you are making tall desserts!
Croquembouche was made famous by the one and only Antoine Careme, the first celebrity chef of Europe, the one who revolutionized pastry and left us heritage plenty of techniques and recipes that we use even nowadays. Originally, the croquembouche had a conic shape, but that wasn’t enough for Careme. Having studied architecture, he created even towers and pavilions or moschees, the Turkish fez being one of his most famous shapes. Time passed by though and the conical shape was the only one to survive.
Croquembouche
Ingredients
Craquelin:
- 90 g butter (softened)
- 100 g brown sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 100 g all-purpose flour
Pate a choux:
- 160 ml water
- 15 g powdered milk
- 2 g salt
- 5 g white sugar
- 70 g butter (cubed)
- 90 g all-purpose flour
- 160 g whole eggs
- Plus 1 egg for egg wash
Vanilla diplomat:
- 500 ml whole milk
- 100 ml heavy cream
- 1 vanila bean
- 180 g egg yolks
- 200 g white sugar
- 2 g salt
- 60 g cornstarch
- 8 g gelatin + 40ml cold water
- 300 ml heavy cream (whipped)
Caramel glaze:
- 400 g white sugar
Caramel “glue”:
- 400 g white sugar
- 45 g liquid glucose
- 90 ml cold water
Instructions
Craquelin:
- Mix the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale.
- Add the flour and salt and mix well to form a paste.
- Spread the dough between two sheets of baking paper until very thin then freeze until needed.
Pate a choux:
- Combine the water, powdered milk, salt, sugar and butter in a saucepan.
- Heat up until the butter is completely melted then bring it to a boil.
- Remove off heat and stir in the flour, all at once. Mix well until well combined then place back on heat and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes or until a thin layer of dough sticks to the bottom of the pan.
- Transfer into a bowl and allow to cool down for 10 minutes then begin adding the eggs, gradually, mixing well after each addition.
- Spoon the dough into a pastry bag then form small dollops of dough on a baking pan lined with baking paper or, even better, silicone mat.
- Brush some of the choux with egg wash.
- For the rest of the choux, take the craquelin out of the freezer and cut small circles, just as big as the choux. Place the craquelin on top.
- Bake the choux in the preheated oven at 350F for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.
- Allow to cool down then make a small hole on the bottom of each choux. Use a small pastry tip for this task.
Vanilla diplomat:
- Heat the milk and the heavy cream together with the vanilla bean in a saucepan. Remove off heat and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to infuse for 15 minutes.
- Bloom the gelatin in cold water.
- Mix the egg yolks with the sugar and salt for a few minutes until pale. Add the cornstarch and mix well.
- Pour the warm milk in a slow stream then return back on heat.
- Cook on low flame until the cream is thick then continue cooking for 1 more minute to cook off the cornstarch.
- Remove from heat and stir in the gelatin.
- Cover the cream with plastic wrap and allow to cool down.
- Mix the cream again until creamy then fold in the heavy cream.
- Spoon the diplomat in a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip then fill all the baked choux with this cream.
Caramel glaze:
- Melt the sugar until it has an amber colour.
- Dip the top of each choux (only those without craquelin) in the melted sugar. Decorate some of the choux with almond slices and pearl sugar. Be careful when working with hot sugar!
- Allow to set.
Caramel “glue”:
- Combine the three ingredients in a saucepan and cook, washing the sides of the pan with a brush dipped in water, until the caramel has a light golden colour.
- Arrange your cone support by lining it with baking paper.
- Dip each choux into the hot caramel and arrange them on the cone.
- Allow to set then decorate.
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