Croquembouche (updated 23/1/13)

I would like to share this recipe with you, it's not too hard you just need time, patience and a celebration !

Makes 85 choux puffs (approx)

Choux Pastry

2 cups plain flour
2 cup water
250g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
8 eggs

Sift flour into a bowl and set aside. In a saucepan, over medium heat, add water, butter, sugar and salt. Stir to combine until melted and bring to a boil for ½ minute. Add flour all at once and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate until mixture forms a ball and leaves the side of the pan. Remove from heat and place mixture into a food processor with blade attachment. Allow to cool to lukewarm. Add eggs, one at a time, and process until mixed through well. The mixture should be shiny and smooth.

Preheat oven to 200oC (190oC fan forced). Line baking trays with baking paper.

For Profiteroles - Fill piping bag with 14mm nozzle and pipe 3 cm rounds, 5cm apart onto baking trays. For Chocolate Éclairs - Fill piping bag with 14mm nozzle and pipe 8 cm long strips, 5cm apart onto baking trays. Bake immediately for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 190oC (180oC fan forced) and continue baking pastry rounds for 10 minutes. Remove trays from oven and with the tip of a knife make a small slit on the bottom of each pastry round. Return the pastry rounds to the oven and switch oven OFF. Leave the pastry rounds to cool in oven before filling with whipped cream or custard (recipe below).

Custard

12 egg yolks
12 tab sugar
12 tab plain flour
2 teas vanilla essence
6 cups milk (full cream)

In a saucepan over medium heat, heat up milk until hot. Switch off Heat.

In a medium bowl, add egg yolks, sugar, flour and vanilla essence. Stir to combine using a balloon whisk. Add ½ of the milk into egg mixture and stir slowly to incorporate. Add the rest of the milk and continue stirring. Return egg/milk mixture back to saucepan and stir with balloon whisk until custard thickens, this should take around 10 – 15 minutes. Remove from heat and pour custard into a clean glass bowl. Cover the surface of custard with cling film and allow to cool to lukewarm. Then place in the fridge until required.

Chocolate Topping (sets hard)

150g milk chocolate
150 dark chocolate

In a small bowl put chocolate and melt in microwave at 10 second intervals, stirring at each 10 seconds until smooth and melted.

Day 1 – Make choux pastry and custard. Store choux in air tight container. Place custard in fridge with cling wrap touching the custard.
Day 2 – Fill choux pastry with custard. Line inside of tin with baking paper and dip choux in melted chocolate and place inside tin with outside round edge touching the tin. Invert onto serving plate, peel away paper. Decorate with dusting of icing sugar or as desired.