Last week found me explaining #FirstOnTheFirst to someone who has never seen our posts before. I began with the sfogliatelle fiasco and the caveat that some things are better left to professionals. When I told her that this month’s challenge was for croquembouche–a tower of cream puffs trapped in a caramel cage–I began to question my sanity. Why have I become such a glutton for punishment?
However, as I prepared each step of the croquembouche–first making the choux paste, then the pastry cream, then using a pastry bag to form the puffs before baking, then filling them with pastry cream with a pastry bag, and then finally, making the caramel and assembling–I felt a sense of peace. Of purpose. Like I was doing what I should be doing; and enjoying the feeling of accomplishment as each step was executed. It took two tries to get the caramel right. Some of the cream puffs’ sides exploded in a pastry cream volcano, clearly not up to snuff with structural integrity. But it didn’t matter. My two hands created this masterpiece; my mind focused on it; and it was my honor to have created what most will never attempt, let alone taste. That is what #FirstOnTheFirst is about–that moment, that feeling.
The cream puffs and pastry cream come from our #FirstOnTheFirst eclairs from March 2012. The techniques are essentially the same; all that changes is the shape of the choux paste. Pipe it out into spirals and smooth over the tip when it inevitably stands on end, a little cream puff cowlick. You can prepare the dough up to 24 hours before you bake it, and the pastry cream up to 48 hours before filling the puffs. This way, you can break down the steps to make them a little more manageable.
For the caramel cage, I used David Lebovitz’s dry caramel method. My first attempt was an abysmal failure. Epic. The second try was a vast improvement, albeit a tad on the dark side. I highly recommend low heat and an attentive gaze. And do not–I repeat, do not–put the pot into an ice bath. Doing so will seize the caramel almost immediately. You will not be able to dip the cream puffs if you do this. You will instead have a clump of caramel stuck in the bottom of your pot, which you will then desperately try to heat back up… You’re better off avoiding this side trip. (By the way–all you need to do is soak your pot in hot water if you do mess up; it may seem like it will never come unstuck, but caramel dissolves quite well in simple water.)
Traditional recipes recommend dipping the tops of the cream puffs as you arrange them, but I had more success with–and preferred the taste of–arranging a layer of cream puffs and then drizzling the caramel over the top before adding the next layer and repeating. The caramel looks much prettier and you don’t end up with an overwhelming mouthful of it.
My last bit of advice–do not refrigerate your croquembouche after you’ve assembled it. The caramel will get soft and the texture will suffer. Try to time assembly as close as possible to when you’ll be presenting it, for best results.
Croquembouche
Ingredients
Choux Paste
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut up
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1-2 pinches flaky sea salt Maldon
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
Pastry Cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 6 large egg yolks reserving 1 egg white for later
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Puffs
- 1 large egg white reserved from earlier, beaten
Caramel
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
Choux Paste
- In a medium saucepan, combine the water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt, bringing to a boil over medium heat.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the flour, stirring constantly until the dough forms a ball.
- Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed for 3 minutes to cool.
- Add eggs one at a time, thoroughly incorporating each before adding the next. You will probably need to scrape down the bowl between each egg.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least a half hour (and up to 24 hours) before using.
Pastry Cream
- In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and half of the sugar over medium heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, other half of the sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla extract.
- Once the milk is gently boiling, remove from heat and slowly pour a ribbon of about 1/3 of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture, constantly beating with the whisk to ensure proper tempering of the eggs.
- Pour the eggs into the rest of the hot milk and bring to a boil over medium heat, beating constantly with the whisk.
- Once the mixture has thickened, cook it for another 3 minutes to ensure the starch is cooked off.
- Transfer to a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the pastry cream to ensure no skin forms.
- Keep in refrigerator until cooled completely, and up to 2 days before using.
Cream Puffs
- When ready to bake the cream puffs, preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip.
- Pipe out spirals, overlapping to make little mounds, spacing 1 inch apart on the sheet. You can add layers on top of layers to make them puffier--in fact, I recommend it if they're a little on the thin side initially.
- With a wet fingertip, press down on the little puff cowlicks, then brush the tops of each with the beaten egg white.
- Bake both sheets for 25 minutes, rotating halfway through, or until golden on top.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cream Puffs Assembly
- Transfer the pastry cream to a pastry bag, fitted with a star tip.
- Gently push the tip into the center of the bottom of a puff and fill until it feels full. Try not to overfill, if possible.
- You can refrigerate assembled cream puffs until you're ready for the caramel.
Caramel
- Pour the sugar into a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
- Set the heat to medium/medium-low and resist the urge to stir.
- As the edges start to brown, use a silicone spatula to start slowly moving the sugar across the surface to keep it from burning. You don't want to be overly-aggressive, or you'll get clumps (which are a pain to melt down and may have to be strained out after).
- Continue at a slow pace; eventually, it will all melt. Stir as more of it melts to get it to do so evenly.
- Just after it smokes is the point when it's the most flavorful yet not burned. Undercooked caramel will not have developed the flavor you desire; overcooked cannot be salvaged. Go easy on yourself and be patient.
Croquembouche Assembly
- Immediately after the caramel has reached the right consistency, start assembly.
- Arrange a circle of cream puffs on your serving plate and, using the spatula, drizzle caramel over the tops of them.
- Working quickly (the caramel sets fast), arrange the next layer. You want the caramel to work like glue, holding the layers together. Repeat drizzling the caramel. Ultimately, you're looking to make a conical shape.
- You'll find, as the caramel cools, that it is more conducive to stretching out lines of sugar to create the cage. Go crazy with it. You can also use a fork to get these links of spun sugar.
- Do not refrigerate; serve immediately.
Notes
Next month, we’ll be making Eton Mess for First on the First. Eton Mess is a combination of strawberries, meringue, and cream. With June being prime time for strawberries around here, this is a perfect way to make them shine while they last. Please check out the First on the First page for more details on how to participate.
We only had one participant this month–guess croquembouche was a little too challenging–but I love what Suitcases & Sweets did with hers!
Your croquembouche looks gorgeous! Very impressed with your caramel cage — worth the perseverance. 🙂
And it doesn’t quite look like a Christmas tree either! 😉 LOVE your Poisson Sucre!
It’s Beeeeauuuuutiful, Carrie! I remember the first time I tried DL’s dry caramel technique. HOLY SCHMOLY! I had this gigantic clump of golden goo on the bottom of my pan where the sugar seized instead of dissolving. Let me tell you that crunchy caramel just doesn’t go well with teeth 😉
Hehe–at least I’m not the only one! I did try to melt that first attempt down again, but it didn’t go so well. I hate chucking organic sugar, but I wasn’t getting anywhere with it, so I didn’t have a choice. Once you get the hang of it, it’s not so bad.
Stunning, just beautiful! I love the cage of caramel and almost want to put a little sugar bird on it! I’ll bet these tasted amazing. I don’t know if I would have the nerve to make these, the caramel scares me!
Thank you! Yes, they do decorate with sugar accents, but that was a little beyond my level of expertise. 😉 What’s a little scary is how not afraid of caramel I am now. One false move and it would have been a big ouch! Nothing to be afraid of!
This looks wonderful!! I’m so impressed and it sound like other than the epic caramel failure the first time around, that it went pretty well. You make it all sound very manageable so I will definitely give this a try some time.
I know you had a lot of time constraints, but I bet you can pull this off. You know the basics already. A small tower is the way to go for a first time effort.
Carrie, beautiful work! I can’t wait to try this!! Thank you!! 🙂
Thank you! You better post photos when you do make it!
Wow!
Carrie! WOW! I know from experience just how challenging this can be. Getting those little buggers to sit still as you stack them is no easy task! These look awesome…you did such a great job! I’d love to try these!
You should have seen me re-heating the caramel. Oops. I didn’t do that. 😉 There was a little bit of challenge to stacking before the caramel hardened, but that’s all part of the fun. 😉 Thank you!
This looks almost too decadent to be legal! Wow, looks super tasty!
I wish these were served at more occasions. Can you just imagine what an impression that would make?
Looks perfect!
Thank you!
Wow, impressive!! I don’t think I have the patience or the confidence to try this one myself. I’d rather just show up at your house and taste your finished products. 🙂
Somebody has to eat the results, right? We all have our jobs. 😉
My goal is to make something like this. So cool and fancy!
I bet you would have no problem pulling this off! I’d love to see it!
I would LOVE to eat a few bites of that yumminess! YUM~ It’s beautiful, too!
But can you stop after a few bites…? 😉 You have a lot more willpower than I do! Though my downfall is pastry cream. Just give me a spoon!
Oh, my goodness! This looks beyond amazing! I’ve pinned this to make later! YUM.
xx Kait
Let me know how it turns out if you do make them! Good luck!
Wow! A true work of art….and they must taste as good as they look! Very ambitious and I am impressed!
Thank you! They were devoured in short order. It was a little sad seeing them go so quickly after devoting 2 evenings to them, but that’s the mark of a good recipe, right?
oh my GOODNESS. This is truly amazing. You are a pregnant woman’s worst nightmare, because there is no way my skills are ever going to produce that product! Amazing job. Love the pictures.
Oh my gosh. I think that is beyond my baking level – I have enough trouble with ordinary creme puffs – but I want to try it so badly.
Bah… you got this! It only looks difficult!
Oh my lord I can’t even pronounce the name of that scrumptious thing but it looks amazing.
Is it wrong to want to eat the whole thing?
Which is perfect…because you have to! No leftovers!
Carrie, thank you very much! I really liked the recipe, I took it to my recipe book)