Croquembouche

Ingredients

• For the choux pastry;

  • 120 ml water

  • 120 ml milk

  • Pinch of salt

  • 113 gr unsalted butter

  • 150 gr flour

  • 250 gr (about 5-6 large) eggs

• For craquelin;

  • 90 gr unsalted butter, room temp

  • 90 gr light brown sugar

  • 90 gr flour

  • Pinch of salt

• For the pastry cream;

  • 480 ml milk

  • 10 gr vanilla extract

  • 2 large egg

  • 80 gr sugar

  • 20 gr cornstarch

  • 20 gr flour

  • 240 ml heavy cream

• For the caramel;

  • 600 gr sugar, divided

  • 170 gr water, divided

Instructions

1. For the pastry cream; heat milk, vanilla in a saucepan until simmering. Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk egg, sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Once the milk is simmering, slowly add it to the egg mixture. Return mixture to the saucepan and stir it until thickens. Transfer to a bowl and cover the surface with cling film. Cool in the fridge. Beat cream to medium peaks and fold into the chocolate filling. Cover the bowl again and store in the fridge. Transfer to a piping bag with a medium plain nozzle.

2. For the craquelin; in a small bowl mix butter, sugar, flour, and pinch of salt until it forms a sticky dough. Place the dough between two parchment papers, and roll out to 3mm thick. Chill in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.

3. For the choux; heat water, milk, salt, and butter in a medium pan, until butter is completely melted. Add flour and mix for 1 minute. Let it cool for 5 minutes. Add one egg at a time and beat with a spatula or mixer until the mixture can shape a V when dropped from a spatula. Transfer to a piping bag. Cut 1 cm/0.5 inch openning.

4. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

5. Pipe 2.5 cm/1 inch circles mounds, leaving 5cm/2 inch space in between each. Remove craquelin from the freezer and cut 2.5 cm/1 inch disks. Place each disk on top of each choux mound. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Turn off the oven and immediately poke a hole at the bottom of each choux. Return them to the oven to cool down completely.

6. Fill the pastry with pastry cream from the holes at their bottom.

7. Cover 2 baking sheets with aliminum foil and place 2 cooling wracks on top of each.

8. For the caramel, place 300 gr sugar with 85 grams of water in a medium-sized saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it becames caramel with amber color. Transfer to a glass jug.

9. Wear protective cloves and dip top of each pastry in caramel with kitchen thongs, and transfer the cooling wrack to drip excess caramel. Do not touch the caramel with your hands to avoid burning!!

10. Make second batch of caramel with remaining sugar and water. Dip a side of 1 pastry in caramel with kitchen thongs and place it on it's side with a slight angle on the serving dish. Continue with 10 more pastries and form a circle. Continue with second layer with 10 pastries, stacking them on top of the 1st layer. Continue until the last layer with just 1 pastry. Enjoy!