Croquembouche

Croquembouche is the "fear and trembling" of the competition in Slovenia. Contestants have tackled the preparation of this famous French dessert in all three seasons of the popular cooking competition. If you also want to test your skills in creating this pastry masterpiece, the recipe used by the contestants will certainly be of great help.

Details

  • Preparation Time: 100 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 40 minutes
  • Difficulty: 3
  • Spiciness: 0
  • Number of Servings: 40

Ingredients

Burnt dough

  • 200 g Water

  • 200 g Butter, unsalted

  • pieces Salt, table

  • pieces Sugar, white

  • 200 g Wheat flour, white, multi-purpose

  • 460 g Egg, fresh

Caramel syrup

  • 660 g Sugar, white

  • 200 g Water

  • 260 g Syrup, corn

Slaščičarska krema

  • 650 g Milk, whole milk

  • 1 pod Vanilla, extract, natural

  • 10 pieces Egg, egg yolk, fresh

  • 165 g Sugar, white

  • 65 g Koruzni škrob

  • 65 g Butter, unsalted

Steps

  1. First, prepare the choux pastry. Measure the water precisely into a pot. Add butter, salt, and sugar, and bring to a boil. Cook the flour into the boiling liquid using a wooden spoon. When a dough ball forms and separates from the sides of the pot, continue to cook it slightly while stirring (toasting). Remove from heat and let it cool.

  2. Gradually mix the eggs into the cooled dough (one at a time). It is important to mix the ingredients thoroughly each time an egg is added to achieve a completely smooth dough. Fill a piping bag with the dough and pipe small mounds (profiteroles) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You should get about 90 profiteroles. Bake the profiteroles for about 20 minutes at 210 degrees Celsius. Remove the baked profiteroles from the oven and let them cool.

  3. While the profiteroles are baking and cooling, prepare the pastry cream. Place a pot of milk on the stove. Add a split vanilla bean and bring the milk to a boil. In a bowl, make a smooth mixture of egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch, then slowly pour the hot milk into the mixture while continuously stirring. Pour the egg mixture back into the pot and cook while stirring until the cream thickens. Strain the cream into a bowl, cover with aluminum foil, and let it cool. When it cools to about 50 - 60 degrees Celsius, mix in the butter. Fill a piping bag with the prepared cream and pipe it into the cooled profiteroles.

  4. Finally, prepare the caramel syrup to assemble and decorate the dessert. Boil a mixture of water and sugar in a pot. Add glucose syrup to the boiling liquid (take it from the container using a hot spoon). Do not stir. Cook until it reaches a light caramel color, then remove from heat and quickly cool the caramel syrup in a cold water bath.

  5. Dip a filled profiterole into the syrup (using a glove, as the syrup is very hot) and attach it to another profiterole. The base row should have 11 profiteroles, with one less in each subsequent row to form a beautiful tower. Hold the profiteroles together for a moment while the caramel syrup hardens and "sticks." If the syrup cools too much, you can reheat it slightly, but be careful not to overheat it or reheat it too many times.

  6. Use the remaining caramel syrup to create a sugar veil to decorate the prepared dessert. Optionally, add some candied rose petals and serve the finished dessert.

Nutrition Information (Per 100g)

  • Calories: 252.71 kcal
  • Fat: 10.44 g
    • Saturated Fat: 5.55 g
  • Carbohydrates: 34.78 g
    • Sugars: 27.88 g
  • Protein: 3.91 g
  • Fiber: 0.13 g