Introduction
This recipe is quite an undertaking. The final product looks great and is delicious, but if this is your first time making all of the components then set aside a full day to make it. The recipe involves making pâte à choux, pastry cream, and caramel. There are multiple reference videos: here and here. Only attempt this recipe once you have some baking experience. Lastly, make sure to plan out the entire process beforehand. Watch the videos and read the recipe in its entirety a few times before beginning. Don’t learn/watch as you go!
Recipe Outline
| Recipe: Croquembouche | Special Equipment: Pastry Bag (With Tip), Stand Mixer |
| Source: Dessert Person | Time: 1 day |
| Author: Claire Saffitz | Difficulty: 5/5 |
| Type: Dessert (Baking) | Score: ★★★★☆ |
Making The Pastry Cream
Tip: Feel free to use any of the pastry creams. I can confirm it tastes great with vanilla or chocolate. Black sesame or coconut pastry cream could both work, but I’d only recommend committing to the black sesame if you’ve either made it before or like sesame products (Tahini, Halvah, etc).
Making The Craquelin
Tip 1: Some argue that this step can be skipped or isn’t necessary. I completely disagree. The craquelin is key to making the taste of each cream puff pop. The sweet flavor and crunchy texture makes it all come together.
Tip 2: Use an offset spatula to lift up the sheet and the craquelin should pretty much fall out. You may need to refrigerate a few times while cutting out the craquelin if the sheet gets too soft to work with.
Making The Pâte à Choux
Tip 1: Claire makes choux for a different recipe in this video, which can serve as a helpful reference.
Tip 2: While the technique described in the book works fine, we found this video to be even better for making choux (we still used the recipe from the book; just not the technique).
Assembling The Puffs
Tip: Using pre-marked (1 inch square) parchment paper will save you a lot of tracing and measuring!
Baking The Puffs
Piping The Puffs
Tip: Using a piping tip makes the process much easier.
Making The Caramel
Tip: Check out this video for great caramel tips.
Applying The Caramel And Assembling The Croquembouche
Tip 1: Be very careful when working with the caramel. For a process as intensive and complex as this seriously consider wearing gloves so you can easily take them off should you get any hot caramel on yourself.
Tip 2: Work fast (be careful though) or the caramel will harden too much. Consider using a more insulated container for the caramel so it doesn’t harden as fast. Alternatively, simply heat the caramel up briefly in the microwave while keeping a very close eye on it.
Tip 3: Plan out your structure for the tower ahead of time. After each layer check your inwards slope with a ruler to make sure the final layer will be small enough (in circumference).
Final Product
Key Takeaways
- Read all of the tips; they’re all actually quite important for this recipe.
- Final Score: 4/5 – The final product is a spectacle and is actually delicious as well. The recipe is definitely an undertaking though. The key to success is planning and rehearsing the steps in advance.
JoeSoltzberg.com 