John Barricellis Pate A Choux Food

PATE A CHOUX

Steps:

• Bring butter, sugar, salt, and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, quickly stir in flour. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture pulls away from sides and a film forms on bottom of pan, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until slightly cooled, about 1 minute. Raise speed to medium; add whole eggs, 1 at a time, until a soft peak forms when batter is touched with your finger. If peak does not form, lightly beat remaining egg white, and mix it into batter a little at a time until it does.

CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or with nonstick baking mats, such as Silpats. Dip a 2-inch round cookie cutter in flour, and mark circles 2 inches apart on prepared sheets. Transfer pate a choux to a pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch plain tip (such as an Ateco No. 808), and pipe puffs to fit in flour circles. Smooth peaks with a moistened finger, rounding tops to ensure even rising. Freeze pastry puffs on baking sheets until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, sprinkle a clean work surface with 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and place tart dough on top of sugar, patting it into a round. Sprinkle another 1/2 cup sugar over dough, and roll to a scant 1/8-inch thick, coating both sides of dough with the sugar to keep it from sticking. Using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out 36 rounds, and place a round on top of each frozen puff. Return to freezer until firm, at least 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds.
• Bake puffs until pale golden brown all over, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheets on wire racks. Puffs can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature overnight.
• Put heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Whisk the pastry cream to soften. Working in 2 batches, fold whipped cream into pastry cream. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as an Ateco No. 806). Insert tip into bottom of each puff, and fill. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Cream puffs are best eaten within a few hours; refrigerate in an airtight container.

GOUGèRES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
• Place milk, butter, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Cook until butter has melted and mixture comes to a boil. Add flour; stir constantly until mixture is smooth and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on medium speed, add 5 eggs, one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Mixture will be thick, smooth, and shiny. Stir in cheese, pepper, and thyme.
• Using a large spoon, form rounds about 3 inches wide and 1 inch high on prepared baking sheet, spacing each about 2 inches apart. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining egg and pinch of salt. Brush each pastry round with egg mixture and sprinkle with cheese.
• Transfer baking sheet to oven and bake until puffed, golden brown, and light for their size, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove pastries from oven and poke a small hole in the top of each to allow steam to release. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

CREAM PUFF "CRACK BUNS" (CHOUX AU CRAQUELIN)

Steps:

• Mix butter, brown sugar, flour, and salt together in a large bowl using a spatula. Place dough between two sheets of waxed paper or inside a zip-top bag. Press or roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Trim off the edges slightly to get a rectangular shape, if desired. Freeze crust until ready to use.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat.
• Combine water, butter, and salt in a saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add flour; stir with a wooden spoon until mixture comes together into a smooth dough and pulls away cleanly from the bottom of the pan. Transfer to a bowl and spread out with a whisk to speed up cooling. Cool until warm, about 10 minutes.
• Whisk eggs, one at a time, into the pastry, mixing well after each addition. Finish mixing with a spatula. Scoop pastry into a pastry bag and pipe into 6 to 8 buns on the baking sheet. Smooth out tops with a wet finger.
• Use a cookie cutter to cut crust into circles about the diameter of the buns. Lightly push crusts onto the buns, just enough to secure them.
• Place buns in the preheated oven. Immediately reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake until browned and fully puffed, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer buns onto a cooling rack and place rack back on the baking sheet. Place in the turned-off oven, leave door partially open, and let cool completely, at least 20 minutes.
• Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 15-second intervals, stirring after each interval, 1 to 3 minutes.
• Spread a few teaspoons of melted chocolate onto the bottom of each bun. Gently press each chocolate base back on the baking sheet to spread it evenly. Let chocolate harden, about 1 hour.

PINK CROQUEMBOUCHE

Steps:

• Pate a Choux:Preheat oven to 450 degrees with rack in bottom third. Line three rimmed baking sheets with parchment. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, sugar, salt, and 1 cup water over medium heat; bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, quickly stir in flour. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture pulls away from sides of pan and a film forms on bottom, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on low speed until slightly cooled, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. With mixer on low, add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated and a soft peak forms when you touch dough with your finger.
• Transfer about half the dough to a large pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch plain tip (such as Ateco #808). Pipe into rounds, about 1 1/4 inches in diameter, onto prepared sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Smooth peaks with a wet finger, rounding tops to ensure even rising. Repeat with remaining half of dough. Place baking sheets in freezer while you repeat with remaining dough and make craquelin topping.
• Craquelin Topping:In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in flour and salt. Add pink food color, a drop at a time, until desired color is reached. Roll out topping between two sheets of parchment to an 1/8-inch thickness. Transfer to a baking sheet and freeze 30 minutes.
• Using a 1-inch round cutter, cut out 72 rounds of craquelin dough and place one on top of each puff. Return to freezer.
• Transfer one baking sheet of puffs to oven; reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake until bottoms are golden brown and tops are crackled and crisp but not browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Repeat process with remaining baking sheets. (For crispier puffs, remove from oven after baking and use a small paring knife to create a small slit in the base of each puff. Turn off oven; return puffs to oven until crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Let cool completely.)
• Strawberry Buttercream:Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over (not in) a pot of simmering water. Whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch and feels completely smooth when rubbed between fingertips.
• Transfer bowl to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high, beat until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue beating until mixture is fluffy and glossy and bottom of bowl is cool to the touch, about 10 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and beat in butter, a few tablespoons at a time, until combined. Scrape down sides of bowl and continue beating until completely smooth. Beat in jam. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in chopped strawberries. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a coupler and a filling tip (such as Wilton #230).
• Insert pastry-bag tip into base of each puff; fill. Return filled puffs to baking sheets in a single layer as you work.
• Caramel:Prepare an ice-water bath. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar and 1/4 cup water to a boil, washing down sides of pan often with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming. Cook, without stirring, until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to high and cook, swirling pan gently to color evenly, until caramel is light amber, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and dip bottom of pan in ice-water bath for a few seconds to stop the cooking. Use immediately.
• Working quickly, dip bottom of each filled puff in caramel (be very careful not to burn your fingers) and adhere puffs closely together in circular pattern, working upwards from the base to top of croquembouche mold.
• Use macarons and meringue kisses to fill in spaces between puffs, as needed.

PATE A CHOUX DOUGH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In 2 quart pot, combine the butter and water. On a piece of wax or parchment paper, sift together the flour, salt and sugar. Bring the water and butter to a rolling boil, remove from heat and dump the flour mixture in all at once. Stir with a wooden spoon or paddle to incorporate.
• Return the saucepot to high heat and cook, stirring, for about one minute. The mixture will form a ball and coat the pan with a thin film.
• Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl or standing mixer equipped with the paddle attachment. Mix the dough for a minute or so, on low speed, to release some of the heat. Add the eggs, one at a time, completely incorporating each one before adding the next. Beat until the dough gets thick and ribbony.
• Fit a pastry bag with a round #5 tip and fill with the warm dough. Line a heavy cookie sheet with parchment paper and anchor it to the tray with a little dab of the dough at each corner. Pipe about forty to forty five 1 1/2-inch mounds about 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden and puffed. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes or until they are golden brown and there are no droplets of moisture in the crevices. Turn off oven and leave the choux to dry for another 10 minutes. Use when cool, or freeze, wrapped in a plastic bag, for 2-3 months.

PATE A CHOUX

Steps:

• Combine water, butter, sugar, and saltin a medium saucepan over medium-highheat. Bring mixture to a boil, and immediately remove from heat. Stir in the flour.When flour is combined, return to heat. Thismixture is called a panade. Dry the panadebystirring constantly for 4minutes. It isready when it pulls away from the sidesand a film forms on the bottom of the pan.
• Transfer panade to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment,and mix on low speed, about 2minutes,until slightly cooled. Add the eggs one at atime on medium speed, letting each oneincorporate completely before adding thenext. Add the last egg a little at a time until the batter is smooth and shiny. Test thebatter by touching it with your finger andlifting to form a string. If a string does notform, the batter needs more egg. If youhave added all the egg and the batter stilldoesn't form a string, add water 1 teaspoon at a time until it does.
• The batter may be used immediately orstored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2days. To use chilled,remove from the refrigerator, and stir tosoften before filling piping bag.

SWEET OR SAVORY PATE A CHOUX

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Boil water, butter, and salt or sugar. Add flour and remove from heat. Work mixture together and return to heat. Continue working the mixture until all flour is incorporated and dough forms a ball. Transfer mixture into bowl of a standing mixer and let cool for 3 or 4 minutes. With mixer on stir or lowest speed add eggs, 1 at a time, making sure the first egg is completely incorporated before continuing. Once all eggs have been added and the mixture is smooth put dough into piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe immediately into golfball-size shapes, 2 inches apart onto parchment lined sheet pans. Cook for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees F and bake for 10 more minutes or until golden brown. Once they are removed from the oven pierce with a paring knife immediately to release steam.

JOHN BARRICELLI'S PATE A CHOUX

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large saucepan, combine butter, sugar, salt, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and immediately remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, quickly stir in flour until combined. Return pan to medium-high heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture pulls away from sides and a film forms on the bottom of the pan, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until slightly cooled, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium, and add whole eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated before adding the next. Test batter by touching it with your finger and lifting to form a soft peak. If a soft peak does not form, the batter needs more egg. If you have added all the whole eggs and batter still does not form a soft peak, lightly beat remaining egg whites, and add a little at a time.
• Immediately transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch plain tip (such as an Ateco #808), and pipe puffs onto a parchment paper or Silpat-lined baking sheet 1 inch apart. Gently smooth any pointed peaks with a moistened finger, rounding tops to ensure even rising. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until puffs are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks to cool completely.

JOHN BARRICELLI'S CROQUEMBOUCHE

Steps:

• Place pastry cream in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip; pipe cream into puffs, inserting the tip into the bottom of each. Set aside.
• Prepare an ice water bath. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons water; bring to a boil over medium heat. Wash down the sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to prevent crystals from forming. Continue cooking without stirring until sugar has dissolved, 5 to 6 minutes. Raise heat to high, and cook until syrup is amber-colored, about 5 minutes, swirling pan to brown evenly. Remove from heat, and dip bottom of pan in the ice bath 3 seconds to stop the cooking. Transfer pan to a heatproof surface.
• Dip bottom half of each filled puff into caramel, letting excess drip back into pan. Place puffs, dipped side down, on a serving platter. Make sure the puffs are touching and adhere to one another. Once ring is complete, make another one on top of the first ring, forming a pyramid shape. If at any point the caramel begins to harden in the pan, reheat briefly over a low flame.
• For the spun sugar, make a second batch of caramel with remaining 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons water. Let cool slightly. Test by dipping a handheld whisk with the top cut off into the caramel and holding it over the pan; the caramel should fall back into pan in long golden threads. Dip whisk into caramel, and spin caramel threads over a large piece of parchment paper or onto a wooden rack. Transfer spun-sugar to croquembouche, swirling to cover.