CROQUEMBOCHE - (crunch in the mouth)

April 04, 2013

Recipes Courtesy of Sous Chef Oarabile John of Grand Palm Hotel 

Photo shoot arranged by: Jillian Blackbeard

Photographer: Phenyo Moalosi

Coordinator: Calviniah Kgautlhe

INGREDIENTS

(For the Choux pastry)

55g butter, plus extra for greasing

70g plain flour, sifted

2 medium eggs

250g castor sugar

(For the pastry cream filling)

300ml full fat milk

25g plain chocolate chopped

2 large egg yolk

55g caster sugar

Icing sugar for dusting

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180c, then prepare choux pastry, first, put the butter and 150ml water in a large pan over a medium heat. When butter has melted and the water is simmering, quickly add the flour and mix to thick paste. Mix over the heat for a minute, then set aside to cool.

2. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well before adding the second egg. You should get a thick glossy, dropping consistency mixture. Transfer the mixture to piping bag fitted with a plain 1.5 cm nozzle. Sprinkle 2 large baking sheets with a little water, then pipe on 25 golf ball size blobs, spaced apart. Bake for 15 minutes until well risen and golden brown.

3. Make a hole at the base of each bun with a sharp knife. Pop in the turned off oven for 5 minutes to crisp up the centers then transfer to a wine rack for cooling.

4. Meanwhile, make a cream filling for the pastry. Put milk and chocolate in a pan over medium heat, stirring to melt. Let it simmer and remove from the heat.

5. In a heat proof bowl, whisk the egg yolk and sugar together, until pale and creamy, then mix in the flour. Slowly mix in the chocolate mixture, then pour it all back into a pan. Return to a medium low heat and cook, stirring continuously for 5 minutes until thick and glossy. Cool, dust the surface with little icing sugar to prevent a skin forming.

6. Spoon the pastry cream into piping bag fitted with a plain 5 mm nozzle. Fill each bun, pushing the nozzle through the base hole.

7. As for preparing the caramel, put the sugar and 2 table spoon cold water in a wide, stainless steel pan over a low heat. Melt gently, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Increase the temperature and simmer, without stirring, until a golden amber colour. Be careful as the mixture can easily burn cool slightly.

8. Carefully dip a little of each bun into the caramel, allow the excess to drip off and stack the buns up in to a pyramid shape. Leave it to firm up.

9. To make the spun sugar return the caramel to the heat to melt again. Dip in a fork and flick back and forth over the croquembouche, repeating until you have a lots of strands of hardened caramel all over the burns. ENDS