Croquembouche

Preparation

• Caramelized Whipped Cream

  • In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Let bloom for 5 minutes.
  • In a pot over low heat, cook the milk powder until golden, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Remove the pot from the heat, as needed, to stir and then return the pot to the heat (the milk powder tends to stick to the bottom of the pot). Add the cream and sugar. Bring to a boil while whisking. Remove from the heat.
  • Add the gelatin mixture to the pot and stir until dissolved. Strain through a sieve to remove any lumps, as needed. Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream. Let cool. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. The caramelized cream will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

• Craquelin Topping

  • Meanwhile, in a bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer. With the machine running on low speed, add the flour and salt.
  • Using a rolling pin, roll the mixture out between two sheets of parchment paper until 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Using a 1 ¼-inch (3 cm) round cookie cutter, cut out 48 circles of craquelin. Repeat with the scraps as needed. If the craquelin becomes too soft, refrigerate as needed. Arrange the circles of craquelin evenly spaced out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate.

• Choux Pastry

  • Meanwhile, with the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Trace 48 circles evenly spaced out on the parchment paper using the inside of a 1 ¼-inch (3 cm) round cookie cutter as a guide. Flip the parchment over and place on the baking sheet.
  • In a pot, bring the water, butter, brown sugar and salt to boil. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms into a smooth ball that pulls away from the sides of the pot.
  • Return the pot to medium heat and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes to dry out the dough. Transfer to a bowl or into the bowl of a stand mixer.
  • Using a wooden spoon or the paddle attachment, mix the dough for 5 minutes to cool and to draw out the humidity. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition, until the mixture is shiny and smooth.
  • Transfer into a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch (1 cm) plain tip. Pipe 48 cream puffs slightly larger than the traced circles on the parchment paper.
  • Place a circle of craquelin over each puff. Freeze at this point, if desired (see note).
  • Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (165°C). Bake for another 20 minutes. Turn off the oven and continue drying for 15 minutes, keeping the oven door slightly ajar with a wooden spoon. Let cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour.
  • Whisk the caramelized whipped cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Transfer into a pastry bag fitted with a ¼-inch (5 mm) plain tip.
  • Pierce the bottoms of each cooled cream puff with the tip of the piping bag tip and fill with the caramelized whipped cream. Return the filled puffs to the baking sheet. Sprinkle half of the puffs with icing sugar. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

• Caramel

  • Fill a large metal bowl with ice cubes and cold water.
  • In a small pot over medium heat, cook all of the ingredients, without stirring, until a slightly amber caramel forms. Remove from the heat and plunge the bottom of the pot in the bowl of ice water to immediately stop the cooking. Let the caramel cool slightly. Remove the pot from the ice water.

• Assembly

  • Cut out a 4-inch (10 cm) circle of parchment paper and place on a serving dish.
  • Dip the tops of the cream puffs not sprinkled with icing sugar in the caramel. Be careful as the caramel will still be slightly hot. If the caramel becomes too stiff, warm over medium heat for a few minutes until runny (do not bring to a boil).
  • Form the base of the croquembouche by placing 7 cream puffs, alternating the types of coating and dipping the sides of each one in the caramel, around the edge of the parchment paper circle with the coating-side facing outwards. Repeat with the remaining cream puffs, forming two more layers of 7 puffs, placing them in the gaps formed by the circle of puffs below it. This will give you a more stable structure and reduce the number of holes. For each subsequent layer, gradually reduce the number of puffs to form a cone-shaped tower (see note).
  • Dip the bottoms of the cranberries one at a time in the caramel and insert them between the cream puffs to fill any holes.
  • Dip a fork in the slightly runny caramel and drizzle over the cream puffs to coat the croquembouche. Set aside in the refrigerator or in a cool spot until ready to serve. The croquembouche will keep for 24 hours in the refrigerator. Decorate with a ribbon or a Christmas ornament, if desired.