Richard Holt: Yr Academi Felys

Richard Holt: Yr Academi Felys

Croquembouche

Ingredients

Colourful craquelin

  • 100g soft butter
  • 140g sugar
  • 130g plain flour
  • Gel colour of your choice

Choux Pastry Puffs

  • 250g milk
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 200g unsalted butter
  • 130g flour
  • 100g of eggs

Vanilla Custard

  • 500ml milk
  • 1tsp vanilla bean paste / 1 vanilla pod
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 74g sugar
  • 25g plain flour
  • 20g cornflour

Caramel

  • 400g sugar
  • 115g water

Method

  1. Craquelin - Mix the butter, sugar and colour together in a bowl until smooth.
  2. Add the flour and mix well.
  3. Roll the mixture between two pieces of baking paper until it's the same thickness as a pound coin.
  4. Place in the fridge until it's firm.
  5. Choux Pastry - Heat the oven to 180C.
  6. Put the milk, sugar, salt and butter in a saucepan over a low heat.
  7. Once it starts to boil, mix in the flour.
  8. Continue to cook on a low heat. The lower layer should be loose if it's cooked for long enough.
  9. Place the mixture in a mixing bowl and leave to cool for 2 minutes.
  10. With the paddle attachment, turn the mixer on for 1 minute, then add 1 egg at a time.
  11. The mixture should be smooth and loose but not too loose that you can't pipe it.
  12. Place the mixture in a piping bag.
  13. Pipe rounds on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
  14. Cut rounds from the craquelin to cover the top of the pastry rounds.
  15. Place in the oven at 180C for 20-25 minutes.
  16. When they're ready they should have doubled in size. Open the oven door and let them cool in the oven to make sure they've dried.
  17. Custard - Heat the milk in a saucepan over a low heat with the vanilla.
  18. Place the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.
  19. Pour some of the hot milk over the egg mixture slowly and whisk.
  20. Place the custard back in the saucepan and cook slowly until it's thick.
  21. Place in a bowl and cover with cling film until it has cooled. Make sure the cling film sits right on top of the custard to stop skin from forming.
  22. When you're ready to use the custard, whisk and place in a piping bag.
  23. Make a hole in each pastry puff and fill with custard.
  24. Caramel - Bring the sugar to the boil over a medium heat until it starts to change to a caramel colour. Don't leave it too long as it can burn easily.
  25. Assembly - To assemble the croquembouche, place a cone on a plate or board.
  26. Dip one of the puffs in the caramel and attach to the bottom of the cone.
  27. Do the same thing all the way around the cone.
  28. Et voila - a croquembouche that shouldn't collapse!