Mini Croquembouche - recipe
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Prepare
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Serves
6 -
Cook
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Skill
Advanced
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 200 ml Water
- Salt
- 75 g Butter (unsalted)
- 100 g Plain white flour
- 3 Egg(s) (free range) medium
For the crème patissiere
- 500 ml Milk
- 100 g Unrefined golden caster sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla bean paste
- 4 Egg yolk(s) (free range)
- 50 g Cornflour
- 25 g Butter (unsalted)
- 1 Lemon zest only
For the caramel
- 300 g White caster sugar
- 100 ml Water
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1
Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C gas mark 4).
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2
Bring the water, salt and butter to the boil in a saucepan. Take off the heat add all the flour and mix well.
For this step you'll need:
- 200ml Water
- pinch Salt
- 75g Butter (unsalted)
- 100g Plain white flour
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3
Put back on the heat, stirring the mixture all the while and dry the pastry until it starts to stick to the saucepan.
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4
Pour the hot mixture in a bowl and beat in the eggs, one at a time.
For this step you'll need:
- 3 Egg(s) (free range) medium
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5
Using a piping bag, pipe some 1.5″ profiteroles on a lined baking tray. Bake for around 30 minutes until they puff up, and become golden and crispy. TIP: it is worthwhile opening the oven half way through the baking for 5 seconds to let the steam out. Leave to cool.
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6
For the crème patissiere: In a saucepan bring the milk and vanilla to the boil.
For this step you'll need:
- 500ml Milk
- 1tsp Vanilla bean paste
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7
In a bowl mix the yolks and sugar together and add the cornflour.
For this step you'll need:
- 4 Egg yolk(s) (free range)
- 100g Unrefined golden caster sugar
- 50g Cornflour
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8
Pour over the hot milk, mix well and pour back in the saucepan. Bring back to the boil without stopping whisking. Take off the heat add the butter and mix. Leave to cool and once cooled, add the lemon zest.
For this step you'll need:
- 25g Butter (unsalted)
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9
Using a small knife pierce each “choux”. In a thick based pan make a nice blond caramel by adding caster sugar to 100mls of water in a saucepan. Boil, then simmer to reduce.
For this step you'll need:
- 300g White caster sugar
- 100ml Water
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10
Dip each choux into the caramel and place them caramel side down on a lined baking tray. TIP: keep some cold water close by in case your fingers become sticky from the caramel.
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11
When the caramel is cool, using a piping bag fill each “choux” with the crème patissiere. Using the rest of the caramel build the Croquembouche using a large oiled pastry cutter as a guide for the base. Decorate with caramel spun sugar.