Quince And Prickly Pear Croquembouche Food

CROQUEMBOUCHE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter, salt, and sugar to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. When it boils, immediately take the pan off the heat. Stirring with a wooden spoon, add all the flour at once and stir hard until all the flour is incorporated, 30 to 60 seconds. Return the pan to the heat and cook, stirring, 30 seconds to evaporate some of the moisture.
• Scrape the mixture into a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer). Mix at medium speed. With the mixer running, and working 1 egg at a time, add 6 of the eggs, stopping after each addition to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix until the dough is smooth and glossy and the eggs are completely incorporated. The dough should be thick, but should fall slowly and steadily from the beaters when you lift them out of the bowl. If the dough is still clinging to the beaters, add 1 or 2 more eggs, and mix until incorporated.
• Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip, pipe the dough in big kisses onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Whisk 2 eggs with 3 teaspoons of water. Brush the surface of the dough with the egg wash to knock down the points (do not use all the egg wash.) Bake 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375-degrees and bake until puffed up and light golden brown, about 20 minutes more. Try not to open the oven door too often during the baking. Let cool on the baking sheet. The recipe can be made up to this point and frozen in plastic bags. Filling: In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla bean to a boil over medium heat. Immediately turn off the heat and set aside to infuse for 10 to 15 minutes. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture until incorporated. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture, reserving the empty saucepan.
• Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slowly boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and any flavorings if you want to make a different flavor like chocolate or coffee. Let cool slightly. Cover with plastic wrap, lightly pressing the plastic against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill at least 2 hours or until ready to serve. The custard can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Poke a hole with a plain pastry tip in the bottom of each cream puff and pipe it full of the custard.
• Caramel: Dissolve the sugar in a saucepan with the water, making an "X" through the sugar with your finger to allow the water to slowly soak into the sugar. Boil to make a light golden caramel then dip the bottom of the pan in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Dip the sides of the puffs in the caramel and stick them together (approximately 20 cream puffs) in a circle, tops facing out. Make a second row on top of the first but a bit smaller to draw the circle in and create a tower of cream puffs. Check it from all sides occasionally to make sure it's straight. When it's finished, drizzle it with caramel all over. You can also stick on decorative elements with the caramel in the crevices, like candied violets, gold balls, gum paste flowers, sugar covered almonds, etc.

CROQUEMBOUCHE

Steps:

• Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• For the craquelin: Add the butter and sugar to a stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until combined. Add the flour and beat to combine. Stir in a few drops of food coloring of choice and beat until uniform in color. Scoop the paste out onto a sheet of parchment paper with a rubber spatula. Cover with another piece of parchment paper and use your hands to press out into an even sheet. Then roll gently a few times with a rolling pin to flatten to an even 1/8-inch thick. Transfer to a baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes. When the craquelin is frozen, remove it from the freezer. Peel the top piece of parchment off and cut rounds with a 3/4-inch round cutter.
• For the choux dough: Meanwhile, combine the butter, sugar, salt and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan over low heat. Once the butter has melted, bring it to a boil over medium heat. As soon as it boils, remove the pan from the heat and sift the flour directly into the pan. Stir the mixture into a paste with a wooden spoon; you will have to beat it hard. Return the pan to medium heat. Stir the batter continuously until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and is slightly shiny, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer the batter to a stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until slightly cooled, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating each one thoroughly before adding the next.
• Fit a large pastry bag with a plain round tip and fill with the choux dough. Pipe twelve 2-inch circular mounds, about 2 inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheet. If the batter has a peak, dab it smooth with a wet fingertip.
• Beat the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water and brush the surface of the puffs with the beaten yolk. Using a small offset spatula, gently lift the craqulin rounds off the parchment and place on top of the cream puffs. Bake on the middle rack for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and continue baking until the puffs are golden brown, light, airy and crisp, 30 to 35 more minutes. If the cream puffs still don't feel completely dry and crisp at the end of the baking time, poke a hole in the bottom with a paring knife and place them back into the oven for a few more minutes to crisp up. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
• Fill a pastry bag with a small plain tip with the Vanilla Pastry Cream. Fill each puff with the pastry cream from the hole in the bottom.
• To assemble: Mix the sugar, corn syrup and 1 cup water together in a heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until it reaches the hard crack stage at 300 degrees F.
• Use the hot syrup to adhere the puffs to about a 16-inch foam cone covered in foil, or pile up to form a mound. If the hard candy caramel gets too thick, heat it gently.
• Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan. Add the milk, eggs and vanilla bean seeds and whisk to combine. Turn the heat to medium-high.Whisk often to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once thick, after about 10 minutes, turn off the heat, add the butter and stir until combined.
• Pour the pastry cream into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface. Place in the fridge to cool completely, about 2 hours.

CROQUEMBOUCHE

Steps:

• For the puffs: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Put the butter, sugar, salt and 1 1/2 cups water in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring to melt the butter. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour with a wooden spoon to make a paste. Return to the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste is shiny and pulls away from the pan, 6 to 7 minutes. Cool slightly.
• Transfer the paste to a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on medium-low speed to cool, 1 minute. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Transfer the dough to a large pastry bag with a 1/2-inch tip. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, dabbing a bit of dough under the corners to keep the paper in place. Pipe 1 1/2-inch balls of dough onto the paper. Smooth the dough peaks with a wet finger.
• Bake until puffed, 15 to 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Turn off the oven; keep the puffs inside 10 minutes to dry out. Pierce each puff with a dry piping tip; transfer to a rack to cool.
• For the white chocolate: While the puffs are baking and cooling, bring a small saucepan of water to a simmer. Combine the white chocolate with the heavy cream in a small metal bowl and set it on top of the saucepan without touching the water. Heat, stirring, until the white chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool.
• For the whipped cream filling: Using a stand mixer or hand mixer and a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream with the confectioners' sugar until soft peaks form. Whisk in the cooled white chocolate mixture.
• To assemble: Add the whipped cream filling to a pastry bag fitted with a medium tip. Fill each puff with a few tablespoons of the mixture through the hole already punched into it. Set aside.
• For the caramel: Mix the granulated sugar, corn syrup and 1 cup water in a saucepan, cover and bring to a boil over high heat; don't stir. Uncover and boil, swirling the pan, until the syrup turns deep amber, about 20 minutes.
• Immediately dip the bottom of the saucepan in a large bowl of ice water for a few seconds to stop the cooking. Transfer the caramel to a liquid measuring cup and cool slightly (it should still be liquid). Be careful--the caramel will still be hot!
• Draw a 7-inch circle on parchment paper. Partially dip each filled puff into the caramel and let the excess drip off (if the caramel hardens, microwave until soft, 45 seconds). Arrange the puffs around the circle on the parchment. Fill the base circle with more puffs for stability, then continue building a conical tower of smaller circles. Top the tower with a single puff. Line your work surface with parchment paper--the next step can be messy.
• Dip the tip of a fork into the caramel and quickly wave it in circles around the tower to create a web of caramel strands. Repeat. Let set, then slide 2 spatulas under the paper and transfer the croquembouche to a platter. Tear off the excess paper around the base.
• To serve, crack the caramel web with the back of a knife, then dismantle the tower and transfer the cream puffs to plates.

CROQUEMBOUCHE

Steps:

• For the croquembouche: Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, salt and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat and dump the flour directly into the pan. Stir the mixture into a paste with a wooden spoon. Return the pan to medium heat. Stir the mixture until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and is slightly shiny, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer the paste to a medium bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until slightly cooled, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating each one thoroughly before adding the next. Before adding the last egg, beat it in a small bowl. Add it by tablespoons to the mixture, just until the batter is smooth and tight. If the batter starts to get loose, do not add all of the last egg.
• Fill a large pastry bag fitted with an open tip with the batter. Pipe twelve 1-inch circular mounds about 2 inches apart onto the baking sheet. (Alternatively, use a large spoon to form the dough into mounds.) Dab the tops of each puff with a fingertip dipped in water to smooth.
• Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the puffs from the oven and use a sharp paring knife to pierce each side. Return the puffs to the oven until dry and crisp, another 5 minutes. Let cool on a rack. Repeat with the remaining batter.
• For the meringue frosting: Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a saucepan that can hold a mixing bowl above the water. Whisk the sugar, lemon zest and juice, egg whites, cream of tarter and salt by hand in the mixing bowl. Set the bowl above the boiling water and continue whisking until the mixture is hot to the touch and the sugar dissolves, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat at medium-high speed until the meringue is cool and holds a soft peak, about 5 minutes. Add a few drops of desired food coloring if using and continue beating until it holds stiff peaks.
• To assemble: Fit a pastry bag with a 1/4-inch round tip (a long eclair filling tip works great for this) and add the frosting to the bag. Insert the tip into the slit in the side of each puff and fill with frosting.
• Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water or in a microwave. Start by dipping a small bit of each puff into the melted white chocolate. Create an even round layer with the puffs on a 12- to 14-inch serving platter, using the chocolate to adhere. Place the platter in the refrigerator and allow to set for 10 minutes. Repeat with additional layer of puffs on top of the first, decreasing in size to create a "tower" effect and reheating the white chocolate to melt as needed. In between each layer, place the plate back in the fridge and allow to set for 10 minutes. When you reach the top, use the remaining white chocolate to drizzle over the top of the tower. Return the platter to the fridge and remove 20 minutes before you are ready to serve.