May 16, 2016
This Croquembouche with Ginger Juice Pastry Cream stood majestically on the birthday cake table. We sang Happy Birthday in a couple of languages, then the birthday girl broke off the first pâte-à-choux. I could see her enthusiasm. YEAH! The croquembouche was a towering success.
I flavoured the Croquembouche with spicy ginger juice because the birthday girl has low tolerance for sweetness. Baking for her, I'm challenged to enhance textures and flavours in place for sweetness. This Croquembouche, with its crunchy chouxs and silky cream filling, will stay in her memory for a long time.
Before launching into the details of this post, I'd like to acknowledge the expertise of Shirley Corriher and her book Bake Wise. I highly recommend it. The Pâte-à-Choux recipe is hers.
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Makes approx. 70 chouxs
Grams
Ounces
Volume
Peeling the ginger for the juice.
Squeezing out the ginger juice from the raw ginger.
A cup of eggs.
Bringing the butter water and salt to a simmer.
Adding the bread flour to the melted butter.
Notice the film on the bottom of the pan? This is what you want.
After incorporating the first little bit of egg.
The pastry after all the egg is added. This is the correct consistency.
Filling the pastry bag with choux pastry.
Choux pastry in the pastry bag.
Pipe the choux onto the tray. Notice how thick the dough is? This is the correct texture.
The baked choux.
For a drier crunchier choux, cut a small slit to release the steam.
MIS EN PLACE FOR THE PASTRY CREAM
The egg yolks.
Adding cornstarch to the sugar and eggs.
Beginning to warm the pastry cream.
Filling the choux with pastry cream.
All the choux are filled and ready for the next step.
ASSEMBLING THE CROQUEMBOUCHE
10 filled choux assembled in a circle.
Dissolving the sugar and water over moderate heat.
The sugar is beginning to bubble and come to temperature.
Cooked sugar at the correct temp. Notice the color of the sugar.
Dipping half the choux into the hot sugar.
The 3rd layer of choux.
Continuing to build the Croquembouche.
Finishing up the Croquembouche.
Gossamer threads are developing from the hot sugar.
Winding the sugar threads around the Croquembouche.
I know using bread flour for Choux Pastry is unconventional; however, it produces a very crisp, dry shell. It's better because the bread flour as a higher protein count and absorbs more liquid than all purpose flour. The dough will be stiffer and more difficult to stir by hand. That’s why I pull out my trusty hand mixer to help me. Simply turn on the hand mixer to its lowest setting for about 1 minute, then stir again with your wooden spoon. The dough will melt together into a single mass. Magic. If bread flour is unavailable, use all purpose flour and do an extra good job drying out the dough so it’s able to absorb all the egg.
Some people prefer using a food processor to incorporate the egg. I don't think a FP incorporates the egg as well as the stand mixer or a hand held mixer. I feel the mixer produces the lighter, puffier choux pastry.
The final consistency of the batter should be thick enough to hold their shape when spooned or piped into small blobs/balls. As you add the egg, assess the thickness of the batter. The batter must be visibly thick. If it was thick one moment then runny the next DON'T PANIC. Let the batter sit for 10-15 minutes, during which time the bread flour will absorb the liquid, and you'll find it a better consistency.
The goal is to have a flavourful cream that is thick enough to hold its shape when spooned or piped. Be sure to add all of the flavouring into the warm pastry cream. As the cream cools, the cornstarch especially becomes thicker. Stirring it after will break the bonds and cause the cream to loosen.
You shouldn't fill the pastries to 100% capacity because the cream will gush out through the entry point and/or creating a mess when building your croquembouche. Also eating an over filled choux creates problems too. Filling them completely will make them heavy and could crush the bottom chouxs once your cone is built. Just be aware.
3 Comments
Terri 2017-01-07
Kimberlie 2017-01-07
Valeria 2017-01-07
Kimberlie 2017-01-07
Makes approx. 70 chouxs
Peeling the ginger for the juice.
Squeezing out the ginger juice from the raw ginger.
A cup of eggs.
Bringing the butter water and salt to a simmer.
Adding the bread flour to the melted butter.
Notice the film on the bottom of the pan? This is what you want.
After incorporating the first little bit of egg.
The pastry after all the egg is added. This is the correct consistency.
Filling the pastry bag with choux pastry.
Choux pastry in the pastry bag.
Pipe the choux onto the tray. Notice how thick the dough is? This is the correct texture.
The baked choux.
For a drier crunchier choux, cut a small slit to release the steam.
MIS EN PLACE FOR THE PASTRY CREAM
The egg yolks.
Adding cornstarch to the sugar and eggs.
Beginning to warm the pastry cream.
Filling the choux with pastry cream.
All the choux are filled and ready for the next step.
ASSEMBLING THE CROQUEMBOUCHE
10 filled choux assembled in a circle.
Dissolving the sugar and water over moderate heat.
The sugar is beginning to bubble and come to temperature.
Cooked sugar at the correct temp. Notice the color of the sugar.
Dipping half the choux into the hot sugar.
The 3rd layer of choux.
Continuing to build the Croquembouche.
Finishing up the Croquembouche.
Gossamer threads are developing from the hot sugar.
Winding the sugar threads around the Croquembouche.
I know using bread flour for Choux Pastry is unconventional; however, it produces a very crisp, dry shell. It's better because the bread flour as a higher protein count and absorbs more liquid than all purpose flour. The dough will be stiffer and more difficult to stir by hand. That’s why I pull out my trusty hand mixer to help me. Simply turn on the hand mixer to its lowest setting for about 1 minute, then stir again with your wooden spoon. The dough will melt together into a single mass. Magic. If bread flour is unavailable, use all purpose flour and do an extra good job drying out the dough so it’s able to absorb all the egg.
Some people prefer using a food processor to incorporate the egg. I don't think a FP incorporates the egg as well as the stand mixer or a hand held mixer. I feel the mixer produces the lighter, puffier choux pastry.
The final consistency of the batter should be thick enough to hold their shape when spooned or piped into small blobs/balls. As you add the egg, assess the thickness of the batter. The batter must be visibly thick. If it was thick one moment then runny the next DON'T PANIC. Let the batter sit for 10-15 minutes, during which time the bread flour will absorb the liquid, and you'll find it a better consistency.
The goal is to have a flavourful cream that is thick enough to hold its shape when spooned or piped. Be sure to add all of the flavouring into the warm pastry cream. As the cream cools, the cornstarch especially becomes thicker. Stirring it after will break the bonds and cause the cream to loosen.
You shouldn't fill the pastries to 100% capacity because the cream will gush out through the entry point and/or creating a mess when building your croquembouche. Also eating an over filled choux creates problems too. Filling them completely will make them heavy and could crush the bottom chouxs once your cone is built. Just be aware.
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Patricia @ ButterYum 2017-01-07
Kimberlie 2017-01-07