Julia Child's Towering Croquembouche | Jamie & Julia

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

Start by gathering ingredients for 70 cream puffs, aiming for a 16-inch high croquembouche.

Measure 180 grams of bread flour (1.5 cups), 9 tablespoons of butter (1 stick + 1 tablespoon), 2 teaspoons of sugar, and a pinch of salt.

In a saucepan, add 1.5 cups of water (354 milliliters), the butter, salt, and sugar, and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, turn off the heat and add in the flour, stirring until it forms a ball and leaves the sides of the pan clean.

Make a depression in the center of the dough (panade) and add 5 eggs, mixing each one in thoroughly before adding the next.

Check the consistency; if too soft, add a sixth egg. The dough should hold its shape when lifted with a spoon.

Prepare two large baking pans with parchment paper or a baking mat, and pipe small mounds of dough, about 1 inch in diameter, spaced 1.5 inches apart.

Beat one egg with half a teaspoon of cold water to create an egg glaze, and brush the tops of the dough mounds.

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and bake the puffs on the lower and upper racks for 20 minutes.

After 30 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C), rotate the pans, and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Turn off the oven and crack the door open to let the puffs cool inside.

For the pastry cream, in a saucepan, combine 3 tablespoons of butter and 0.5 cup of water (100 milliliters), and bring to a boil.

Add 0.5 cup of flour (60 grams) and stir until it forms a ball and leaves the sides of the pan clean.

Add one egg, stirring quickly to prevent it from cooking, and then add 2-3 tablespoons of milk to thin the mixture to the desired consistency.

Add 1.5 tablespoons of sugar and a splash of vanilla to the pastry cream, and mix well.

Once the cream puffs are cool, fill them with the pastry cream using a piping bag, but only fill some to prevent sogginess.

Assemble the croquembouche by stacking the filled cream puffs into a cone shape.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens