Croquembouche'

The Croquembouche' Desert


Pastry Cream:
_________________
1 1/4 cups whole milk.
3 egg yokes
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons corn starch
1 teaspoon vanilla.
1/4 cup sugar
In a small pan warm the milk over low heat until is is just hot enough to steam.
While the milk is warming, whisk together egg yokes, sugar, flour and corn starch until mixture is smooth.
Once the milk is steaming add 1/2 of it, whisking constantly to the egg mixture.
Add the milk and eggs back into the milk, continue stirring for 1-2 minutes or until the custard reaches 170 or is very thick. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and chill the cream before filling , about 2 hours.

Puffs;
_____
1 cup butter
2 cups water
pinch salt
2 cups all purpose flour
8 eggs
In a medium saucepan, melt butter in the water , add salt and stir until a thick batter is formed, beat in the eggs , one at a time, until the butter is smooth.
Preheat oven to 400 and grease 2 baking sheets. Spoon the prepared dough into 24 small rounds on each sheet, Bake for 30 -35 minutes until they puff up and are golden brown.Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before you fill them.
Place the pastry cream into a pastry bag and and fill each puff with about 1 tablespoon of cream.


Spun Caramel Sugar :
__________________
2 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cups water.
Put sugar into a medium sauce pan and pour water over it. Once the mixture is up to a simmer, wipe down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush. Boil; the sugar for 15-20 minutes -until it turns pale golden brown. Do not let it burn .Remove pan from heat and put pan in ice water for about 5 seconds to stop the cooking process. After the sugar cools for 5 or 10 minutes, should have the consistency of maple sugar, you need to work fast.
Dip each puff ,one at a time, into the melted sugar and arrangement to make your bush. Do one whole layer at a time.After all the puffs are assembled, lightly drizzle the remaining sugar, over the bush ,to forma cobweb of sugar.
This makes about 48 medium sized servings. If this is your first try at making this, I would suggest you have a friend to help with the dipping and stacking, as the sugar can cool fast. To make a bigger bush, I would do it one batch at a time, especially the sugar assembly.
Good luck, have fun, enjoy! They are so good. If you want to use the ready made and filled cream puffs, just do the sugar part and you'll be home free. I expect pictures.
Merry Christmas.
Found At
http://myoldhistorichouse.blogspot.com/2011/12/croquembouche-for-christmas.html