Croquembouche

Paté a choux / cream puffs / profiteroles

Ingredients:

1 /2 Cup water

1/2 cup milk

1 stick butter (6 tablespoons)

1/8 teaspoon salt (for sweet)

 (for savory)

1. Cup all purpose flour

4 large eggs 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Boil water, butter, and salt or sugar. Add flour and remove from heat. Work mixture together and return to heat. Continue working the mixture until all flour is incorporated and dough forms a ball. Transfer mixture into bowl of a standing mixer and let cool for 3 or 4 minutes. With mixer on stir or lowest speed add eggs, 1 at a time, making sure the first egg is completely incorporated before continuing. Once all eggs have been added and the mixture is smooth put dough into piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe immediately into golfball-size shapes, 2 inches apart onto parchment lined sheet pans. Cook for 20minutes, or until golden brown. Once they are removed from the oven pierce with a barbeque stick immediately to release steam.  Put them back in the oven to dry in a turned off oven and leave the oven door ajar by placing a wooden spoon in between the door.

A croquembouche or croque-en-bouche is a French dessert consisting of choux pastry balls piled into a cone and bound with threads of caramel. In Italy and France, it is often served at weddings, baptisms and first communions. Wikipedia

Place of origin:

France

Main ingredients:

Profiterole, Chocolate, Caramel

History

A croquembouche or in French- croquenbouche is a type of pièce montée and is generally served at baptisms and weddings as well as at first communions. This high cone made of profiteroles (choux that is filled with delicious pastry cream), is sometimes also dipped in chocolate & bound with caramel.

Typically, this entire creation is elaborately decorated with fine-spun threads of caramel, flowers, sugared almonds, chocolate and even ribbons. At times the cone may also be covered with macaroons. Its name is derived from the 2 French words "croquet" en "bouche", which means ‘crunch in the mouth’. The Croquembouche is designed to be the centrepiece at a table. Outside of France, it is used to add a dash of flair to any event.

The croquembouche has a very ancient lineage and illustrates the extensive history of these fine pastries in the country. A variation of the croquembouche, which is a very fanciful and edible architectural creation, was also seen displayed on the tables of the royals and noblemen in France, way back in the 1500’s.

Ingredients such as the cream puffs that are used in this creations date back to this period. Antoine Careme (1783-1833), the French chef seems to have invented the actual version that we see today, only in the late 1700’s. It was at this time that it became very popularly used as a wedding cake. He was one of the most-famous French chefs of his time and this dessert was popularized by him.

watch how its done:

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