Teresa's Recipes
Croque en Bouche de Luxe
Indulge in the opulence of a Croque en Bouche de Luxe - an illustrious French dessert that was traditionally served at weddings. This tower of delicate cream puffs, each filled with smooth vanilla pastry cream, is a spectacle in itself. Each puff is meticulously layered to form a pyramid, which is then lavishly drizzled with a rich, golden caramel sauce, and finally crowned with a halo of sparkling spun sugar. This dessert is not just a treat to the palate, but also a feast for the eyes.
Ingredients
- For garnish Spun sugar
- 1 cup Caramel sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
- 1/2 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 4 Eggs
- 1 cup All-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup Water
Dietary Notes
- Servings: 8
- Dish Type: Dessert
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Calories: 320
- Fat: 16g
- Carbs: 40g
- Protein: 7g
- Sodium: 200mg
- Sugar: 20g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the water and butter and bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Once boiling, quickly add the flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the saucepan and forms a ball.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the dough cool for 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, to the cooled dough, beating well after each addition until fully incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe small mounds onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the puffs are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.
- While the puffs are cooling, prepare the pastry cream. In a separate saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until steaming but not boiling.
- In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually whisk in the hot milk until well combined.
- Pour the milk mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the pastry cream cool. Once cooled, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip.
- Using a skewer, poke a small hole in the bottom of each cooled puff. Fill each puff with the pastry cream through the hole.
- To assemble the Croque en Bouche, arrange the cream puffs in a tower on a serving platter, drizzling caramel sauce between each layer.
- Finally, decorate the top of the tower with spun sugar and serve immediately.
Tips
- For the best results, ensure that each cream puff is completely cool before filling them with pastry cream.
- You can prepare the cream puffs and pastry cream a day in advance. Just store them in the refrigerator and assemble just before serving.
- If you're not comfortable making spun sugar, feel free to substitute with powdered sugar or a dusting of cocoa powder for a different twist.