I’ve wanted to make a croquembouche for as long as I can remember. This month when I got the December issue of Fine Cooking, I was inspired by their traditional recipes and decided to tackle several of the classics. I made a fruit cake that finally converted me. Dried fruit soaked in rum, folded into a spiced-filled batter, and then doused in more rum. Seriously who wouldn’t want some of that? This week I made the croquembouche with several tweaks of my own. Next week I’ll tackle Beef Wellington – tenderloin wrapped in homemade crepe smeared with chicken pate and then wrapped once again in puff pastry. Completely indulgent.
Have you heard about the torrential downpours in Southern California? Even though we live in the high desert, the rain has been pouring now for 3 days. I like it, the gloomy light and cold air make it feel so much more like the holidays. The kids got itchy to play outside, so they put on their boots, met up with a few friends, and set out for a dirt (now mud) hill in the neighborhood. Playing in the mud on a rainy day. Isn’t that what being a kid is all about?
Our schedule has begun to slow down, the inbox isn’t quite as full, and today I spent the entire day baking. This year has been an eventful one and I truly appreciate your support. I’ve been blown away by your feedback and how many of you continue to come back week after week. It’s such a blessing to create recipes and hopefully help you make little (or big) changes to your diet. I’m excited to see what opportunities lie around the corner next year and I can’t wait to share more with you soon.
I hope you and yours have a joyous and blessed holiday season. From my family to yours – Merry Christmas
Serves: Makes about 70 puffs
If you've never heard of a croquembouche, let me explain. You prepare an easy pastry dough called "pate a choux" then use a pastry bag to pipe little balls onto your baking sheet. The little balls rise in the oven and turn into delicious buttery puffs. You fill the tiny puffs with pastry cream and, if you're daring enough, make caramel with whole cane sugar and just when it gets to the right temperature you spin it around the tower of puffs with a fork to create thin threads. It's an ambitious project, but such a show-stopper. Make this for your New Year's Eve party and everyone will rave.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup
- pinch of salt
- 6 egg yolks with chalazae removed (the white stringy part on the outside of the yolk)
- 4 tablespoons arrowroot powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon brandy
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 sticks (1/2 lb) unsalted butter
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup sweet rice flour
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 8 large eggs
- 1 cup organic whole cane sugar or sucanat
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons water
- 1 4x12-inch foam cone, covered in gold foil or unbleached parchment paper
- toothpicks
Instructions
- Whisk milk, maple syrup, and salt in a medium sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk together egg yolks and arrowroot until creamy, about 30 seconds. When milk mixture comes to a simmer, gradually pour milk mixture into yolk mixture, whisking constantly to temper. Pour mixture back into saucepan and simmer, stirring contantly until thick, about 30 seconds. Take pan off heat and whisk in vanilla, brandy and butter. Press parchment paper directly onto the surface of the pastry cream (to prevent the cream from forming a skin) and refrigerate until cold, about 3 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Heat the milk, butter, and salt in a medium sauce pan over medium heat until steaming. Meanwhile whisk together rice flour, oat flour, arrowroot, and xanthan gum. When the butter is melted, add the flour mixture all at once and stir it with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together and forms a dough ball. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat for 2 minutes until a film of flour begins to coat the bottom of the pan. Pour hot dough into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the eggs and pulse until the eggs are incorporated. The dough will be thick.
- Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip (or simply use a zip-loc bag and snip one of the corners off). Pipe small mounds the size of a Hersey's Kiss (about 2 teaspoons) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. With a wet finger, lightly press down the swirl at the top of each puff. Bake for 12 minutes, until golden brown, then turn off the oven and allow them to sit for another 10 minutes. Cool completely.
- Transfer half of the pastry cream to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip. Push the tip into the bottom of each puff and fill with the pastry cream. Repeat with the remaining puffs. Place the cone on a serving plate. Insert a toothpick into the cone and attach a cream puff onto it. Repeat, making your way up the cone, working from the largest to smallest puffs.
- Place the whole cane sugar, maple syrup and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Gently boil until it reaches 290ºF. Immediately remove from the heat. Allow the mixture to cool for 1-2 minutes to thicken. Dip a fork into the caramel and rapidly flick the fork back-and-forth over the croquembouche to create caramel strands.
- The croquembouche is best eaten within 3 hours. If the air is humid, it will cause the caramel to soften more quickly. Serve at room temperature.
*Thank you to David Edmonson for the fabulous family photo
the urban baker
Helene
Brooke@FoodWoolf
Emily
Maria
marla {family fresh cooking}
Mamabear
Esi
Elana
Stephanie
jas (the gluten free scallywag)
Lenka