French Choux Pastry Masterclass – Recipes
French Choux Pastry Masterclass Recipes
Our cookery classes are as much about learning to cook as they are a sociable experience. We hope you enjoyed your day and are ready to recreate the bakes at home.
We Baked:
- Mini croquembouche tower
- Eclairs
- Paris-Brest
- Pastry Cream
Demo:
- Streusel Topping
Choux Pastry
Ingredients:
- 250ml Water
- Pinch of Caster Sugar
- Pinch of Salt
- 100g Butter
- 150g Plain Flour
- 4/5 Eggs approx *
Method:
- Boil water / sugar / salt / butter until all the butter has melted.
- Remove from heat.
- Add flour, beat well with wooden spoon.
- Return to heat and stir until the mix leaves the sides (approx. 2 mins) this is a Panada.
- Pour mix onto counter until it is cool.
- Beat eggs well.
- Return mix to pan (DO NOT HEAT).
- Gradually add eggs beating well in-between until a thick dropping consistency is achieved.
- The mix may not take all of the eggs, or it may take more.
- Pipe into desired shape.
- Bake 200`c approx. 10 mins until golden brown.
- Pierce bottom of choux bun (carefully as steam will be released)
- Return back to oven for approx. 4 mins until the inside is no longer wet.
Streusel Topping
Ingredients:
- 100g Flour
- 100g Sugar
- 95g Butter
Method:
- Mix together to form a dough.
- Roll out thinly.
- Cut out small circles approx size of 2p piece.
- Chill.
- Place chilled round ontop of unbaked choux pastry.
- Bake choux pastry as desired.
- Once the choux pastry has baked, the choux bun is usually 10% larger than the choux pastry without a streusel top.
- The overall finish looks like a perfect round of crumble baked to the top of the choux pastry.
Types of Choux
Profiteroles:
Profiteroles are made from choux pastry (pronounced shoe) they are traditionally the size of a ping pong ball and usually filled with Chantilly cream. They are then dipped into melted chocolate.
They are served cold on their own or with a warm chocolate sauce poured over.
Eclairs:
Eclairs are traditionally “sausage shape” approx. 3-4” long
They can be filled with Chantilly Cream or Pastry Cream and topped with either chocolate or fondant. Usually served cold and eaten without any additional creams or sauces.
Paris – Brest:
Paris – Brest is traditionally the shape of a bike-wheel, this represents the bike race from Paris to Brest.
The choux pastry is piped in 3” rounds, topped with flaked almonds and baked. Sometimes it is served with a praline cream but generally a Chantilly cream piped with a star shaped nozzle, chopped fruit can be added. It is finished with a dusting of icing sugar on top.
Croquembouche:
This is traditionally a large cone shaped construction made up of small profiteroles and affixed with caramel. This is what the French use as their version of a wedding cake. You can make mini Croquembouches that are affixed with melted chocolate and dusted with icing sugar.
Pastry Cream
Ingredients:
- 140ml Milk
- 30g Sugar
- 15g Plain Flour
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 1 Tsp Cornflour
- Vanilla
Method:
- Beat egg yolks and sugar together.
- Whisk in the flours.
- Pour half of cold milk onto egg mix / stir.
- Heat remaining milk in pan.
- Pour hot milk onto egg mix/ stir.
- Return entire mix back into the pan.
- Heat gently stirring continuously until thick.
- Pour into clean bowl, cover with cling film to stop skin forming and chill.
- You can sprinkle small amount of sugar over pastry cream to stop skin forming.
- *Once cool this mixture can be whisked up and enriched with whipped cream.
We hope you enjoyed the class!
We really hope you enjoyed your class at Food Sorcery. If you have any questions for chef get in touch lovetocook@foodsorcery.co.uk
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