Cream Puffs and a Croquembouche
Have you ever wondered how to make a croquembouche?
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A croquembouche (or a "pie\ce monte/e") is a French dessert consisting of choux pastry balls (cream puffs) piled into a cone shape and bound with threads of caramel. "Croque-en-bouche " literally means "crunch in the mouth" which is true to the crunchy caramel topping. In Italy and France, a croquembouche is often served at weddings, baptisms, first communions, and other celebrations.
This is my 2nd attempt at making this infamous dessert, the first attempt was about 5 years ago. There is no evidence or pictures of it's existence, as this was before I started blogging. In the previous attempt, I built the dessert inside-out and top-down. I had made a cone out of poster board, dipped each puff in caramel and inserted into the inside of the cone. Everything was seemingly OK until guests started to arrive and I was rushing. Warning: Rushing with hot caramel is a recipe for disaster. My sister started to help me and with the two of us rushing back and forth between the caramel and cone, a stream of hot caramel landed on my finger! I screamed in pain and hid my finger as it formed a crazy looking blister and a throb that lasted a whole day (not kidding). The 10" tall cone shaped held, but when flipped to stand on it's own, it became a leaning tower of Pisa in about an hour (possible high humidity that day?). My finger (and self-esteem) recovered, I'd been re-imagining a better version for a while now. Fast forward to this Christmas, I took a smarter path to build it using chopsticks (no dipping in hot caramel with bare fingers) and allowing to cool before mounting onto a foam cone using toothpicks.
I have read that a traditional croquembouche is eaten by ceremoniously chipping away at the self-standing dessert until the puffs fall apart. I imagine in a dream-like world this would be spectacular, but in my world it sounds like a royal mess! I can imagine smacking it like a pinata as the dessert flies out like missiles at people in the dining room. :) This updated croquembouche formation with a foam cone works better, of course, making a more stable base that is not hollow inside, much more easily transported (in the car this time), and bonus - does not require the entire tower to be shattered before eating! Because this could be eaten piece by piece, eventually it became a funny looking porcupine. Oh well ;)
Pate a Choux (Cream Puffs)
Adapted from the Joy of Cooking
1 cup water
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick cut into small pieces)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour (pre-measured, set aside)
4 large eggs
Bring water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil in medium saucepan. When mixture comes to a rolling boil, turn off heat and immediately add flour. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until the mixture becomes smooth and forms a ball. At this stage, the mixture will not cling to the spoon or the sides of the pan, and an imprint will be left when pressed lightly. Transfer to a bowl and let cool 5 minutes stirring occasionally. (Insert in refrigerator to speed this up.)
Using stand mixer or hand mixer, add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Make sure paste is smooth before adding each egg. When done, the paste will be smooth and shiny. (Can be made up to 4 hours ahead, stored in the refrigerator.)
Preheat oven to 400F.
Scoop the paste into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2" plain tip. Onto ungreased baking sheet (lined with parchment or silpat), pipe pastry starting from center in a concentric swirl movement. Puffs should be about 1 1/2" wide and 1" tall. Wet fingers with water and smooth tops so that there are no peaks in shape. Sprinkle a few drops of water over baking sheet before inserting into the oven.
Bake 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350F for about 25 minutes longer until light brown. Remove and cool completely on cooling rack.
Pastry Cream
Adapted from Allrecipes
Makes 2 1/2 cups (double the recipe for the croquembouche)
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 egg
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a medium saucepan, stir together the milk and 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Whisk together in separate bowl the egg yolks and egg. Stir in remaining sugar and cornstarch, then whisk into egg mixture until smooth. When the milk comes to a boil, whisk one cup into the egg mixture (in a thin stream so you do not cook the eggs). Return the mixture to the saucepan, stir completely, and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly to avoid scorching the bottom.
When the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, remove from the heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla, mixing until completely blended. Pour into a heat-proof container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled before using. Can be made up to 2 days ahead.
Caramel
Adapted from Saveur
4 cups sugar
Stir 2 cups sugar and ½ cup water in a shallow saucepan and stir to combine. Cover and cook over medium heat until sugar turns light amber, about 15–20 minutes. Remove from heat. Using tongs (or in my case, chopsticks!), dip top of filled puffs in hot caramel. Place puffs, glazed side up, on a parchment lined tray. Reheat caramel until liquid again if it becomes too thick; repeat making more caramel with remaining sugar and ½ cup water when first batch of caramel becomes too thick to work with. Allow caramel to cool until it is the consistency of honey. With a fork, drizzle thin strings of caramel around cone; let cool until brittle and set. It is recommended to serve croquembouche within 4 hours of making to ensure the filling doesn't soften the puffs.
Assemble croquembouche after preparing cream puffs, chocolate strawberries (optional), and caramel.
1. Start with a foam cone. Mine is 12" tall with 4" diameter.
2. Cover in foil or parchment paper.
3. "Glue" cone to ceramic plate using hot caramel.
4. Insert toothpick into cone at a 45 degree angle starting from the bottom of the cone. Repeat with all cream puffs and chocolate strawberries until complete.
5. Optional: Decorate around the plate with Russian Tea Cakes and powdered sugar "snow" using a small sifter. Top with "spun" caramel - using fork tongs shake caramel back and forth over a silpat mat to form a star shape. Pick up with set and place on top of your croquembouche for a pretty topping.
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A croquembouche (or a "pie\ce monte/e") is a French dessert consisting of choux pastry balls (cream puffs) piled into a cone shape and bound with threads of caramel. "Croque-en-bouche " literally means "crunch in the mouth" which is true to the crunchy caramel topping. In Italy and France, a croquembouche is often served at weddings, baptisms, first communions, and other celebrations.
This is my 2nd attempt at making this infamous dessert, the first attempt was about 5 years ago. There is no evidence or pictures of it's existence, as this was before I started blogging. In the previous attempt, I built the dessert inside-out and top-down. I had made a cone out of poster board, dipped each puff in caramel and inserted into the inside of the cone. Everything was seemingly OK until guests started to arrive and I was rushing. Warning: Rushing with hot caramel is a recipe for disaster. My sister started to help me and with the two of us rushing back and forth between the caramel and cone, a stream of hot caramel landed on my finger! I screamed in pain and hid my finger as it formed a crazy looking blister and a throb that lasted a whole day (not kidding). The 10" tall cone shaped held, but when flipped to stand on it's own, it became a leaning tower of Pisa in about an hour (possible high humidity that day?). My finger (and self-esteem) recovered, I'd been re-imagining a better version for a while now. Fast forward to this Christmas, I took a smarter path to build it using chopsticks (no dipping in hot caramel with bare fingers) and allowing to cool before mounting onto a foam cone using toothpicks.
I have read that a traditional croquembouche is eaten by ceremoniously chipping away at the self-standing dessert until the puffs fall apart. I imagine in a dream-like world this would be spectacular, but in my world it sounds like a royal mess! I can imagine smacking it like a pinata as the dessert flies out like missiles at people in the dining room. :) This updated croquembouche formation with a foam cone works better, of course, making a more stable base that is not hollow inside, much more easily transported (in the car this time), and bonus - does not require the entire tower to be shattered before eating! Because this could be eaten piece by piece, eventually it became a funny looking porcupine. Oh well ;)
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| Pate a Choux - Cream Puffs |
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| Pastry cream and filling puffs |
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| Caramelized sugar and dipping tops of puffs |
Pate a Choux (Cream Puffs)
Adapted from the Joy of Cooking
1 cup water
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick cut into small pieces)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour (pre-measured, set aside)
4 large eggs
Bring water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil in medium saucepan. When mixture comes to a rolling boil, turn off heat and immediately add flour. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until the mixture becomes smooth and forms a ball. At this stage, the mixture will not cling to the spoon or the sides of the pan, and an imprint will be left when pressed lightly. Transfer to a bowl and let cool 5 minutes stirring occasionally. (Insert in refrigerator to speed this up.)
Using stand mixer or hand mixer, add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Make sure paste is smooth before adding each egg. When done, the paste will be smooth and shiny. (Can be made up to 4 hours ahead, stored in the refrigerator.)
Preheat oven to 400F.
Scoop the paste into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2" plain tip. Onto ungreased baking sheet (lined with parchment or silpat), pipe pastry starting from center in a concentric swirl movement. Puffs should be about 1 1/2" wide and 1" tall. Wet fingers with water and smooth tops so that there are no peaks in shape. Sprinkle a few drops of water over baking sheet before inserting into the oven.
Bake 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350F for about 25 minutes longer until light brown. Remove and cool completely on cooling rack.
Pastry Cream
Adapted from Allrecipes
Makes 2 1/2 cups (double the recipe for the croquembouche)
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 egg
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a medium saucepan, stir together the milk and 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Whisk together in separate bowl the egg yolks and egg. Stir in remaining sugar and cornstarch, then whisk into egg mixture until smooth. When the milk comes to a boil, whisk one cup into the egg mixture (in a thin stream so you do not cook the eggs). Return the mixture to the saucepan, stir completely, and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly to avoid scorching the bottom.
When the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, remove from the heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla, mixing until completely blended. Pour into a heat-proof container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled before using. Can be made up to 2 days ahead.
Caramel
Adapted from Saveur
4 cups sugar
Stir 2 cups sugar and ½ cup water in a shallow saucepan and stir to combine. Cover and cook over medium heat until sugar turns light amber, about 15–20 minutes. Remove from heat. Using tongs (or in my case, chopsticks!), dip top of filled puffs in hot caramel. Place puffs, glazed side up, on a parchment lined tray. Reheat caramel until liquid again if it becomes too thick; repeat making more caramel with remaining sugar and ½ cup water when first batch of caramel becomes too thick to work with. Allow caramel to cool until it is the consistency of honey. With a fork, drizzle thin strings of caramel around cone; let cool until brittle and set. It is recommended to serve croquembouche within 4 hours of making to ensure the filling doesn't soften the puffs.
Assemble croquembouche after preparing cream puffs, chocolate strawberries (optional), and caramel.
1. Start with a foam cone. Mine is 12" tall with 4" diameter.
2. Cover in foil or parchment paper.
3. "Glue" cone to ceramic plate using hot caramel.
4. Insert toothpick into cone at a 45 degree angle starting from the bottom of the cone. Repeat with all cream puffs and chocolate strawberries until complete.
5. Optional: Decorate around the plate with Russian Tea Cakes and powdered sugar "snow" using a small sifter. Top with "spun" caramel - using fork tongs shake caramel back and forth over a silpat mat to form a star shape. Pick up with set and place on top of your croquembouche for a pretty topping.
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