Croquembouche – Bruno Albouze

heavy cream

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: whipped topping

Greek yogurt reduces calories while maintaining creaminess

caramel

🥗Healthier: honey

💰Cheaper: sugar syrup

Honey provides sweetness with fewer processed ingredients

Make royal icing by beating one egg white with eight ounces of powdered sugar and a few drops of lemon juice until stiff peaks form.

For the pâte à choux, add milk, water, sugar, salt, and butter to a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and stir in flour, then return to medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and a film forms on the bottom, about one minute.

Transfer the mixture to a mixer bowl and mix on low speed until slightly cooled, about two minutes.

Add eggs one at a time, mixing until well combined, and adjust the number of eggs to achieve a soft peak consistency.

Pipe small round mounds of choux pastry onto a baking sheet using a 12mm open star pastry tip.

Dust the piped choux with powdered sugar instead of brushing with egg wash before baking.

Prepare crème mousseline by bringing milk, vanilla, and half of the sugar to a simmer.

Beat egg yolks with the remaining sugar, then add flour and cornstarch.

Gradually whisk hot milk into the yolk mixture, then return to the stove and cook for two minutes on medium-high heat, whisking constantly.

Turn off the heat and whisk in half of the butter, then cool custard to 65°F (18°C).

Beat the cooled custard on high speed, adding the remaining room temperature butter until creamy and fluffy, about five minutes.

Make a small hole in each choux pastry and fill with the crème mousseline, scraping out any excess filling.

Prepare caramel and coat each choux with a light amber caramel coating, using ice water nearby in case of burns.

Assemble the croquembouche by stacking the choux, starting with 12 on the bottom, then 11, 10, and so on, ensuring they are tightly packed with caramel on both sides and the bottom of each choux.

Optionally, pour caramel over a round silicone mold for decorations.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens