Recipes: Choux Pastry Workshop

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 T sugar
1 t salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
12 large eggs

Method:

In saucepan, over medium-high heat, combine the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt and bring to a full boil.

When the butter melts, remove the pan from the heat, add the flour all at once, and stir vigorously with spoon or heatproof spatula until blended. Return the pan to medium heat and continue stirring until the mixture leaved the sides of the pan and forms a ball, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour into stand mixing bowl with paddle attachment. Let cool for 3 -4 minutes or to 140F.

When the batter has cooled, add about one egg into the batter and beat until fully incorporated. One at a time, add the remaining eggs, mixing fully after each one. After each egg is added, the mixture separates and appears shiny but it returns to a smooth past with vigorous beating.

Pipe onto parchment lined baking sheets.

Bake at 400F Conventional oven for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250F and continue to cook for 30 minutes more. (For small cream puffs & éclairs)

**For Convention oven back at 350F (Low fan) for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 300F and continue to bake for 22 minutes more.

Ingredients:

2 1/ cups whole milk
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
5 T cornstarch
2 tsp vanilla

8 oz. chocolate chip (semi sweet)
1 cup heavy cream

Pastry Cream:

In a small sauce pot, warm the milk over low heat just to where it begins to start steaming.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, flour, and cornstarch until its completely smooth.

Once the milk is steaming, add 1/3 of it to the flour mixture. This step is called tempering! Once combined, add it back to the pot with the rest of the milk and stir constantly with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until it thickens.

Strain and let cool using an ice bath. Add the vanilla extract and cool completely. Pipe the eclair shells when cooled.

Chocolate Glaze:

In a sauce pot, add the heavy cream and bring up until just at a boil.

In a separate mixing bowl, add the chocolate chips. Add the hot heavy cream at a time and stir to combine and all the chocolate is combined and melted throughly.

Dip the eclairs on one side once the eclairs are stuffed.

Ingredients:

2 cups milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
5 oz. butter
1/4 cup raspberry puree (1 cup fresh raspberries + 2 T sugar (mash with forks then heat up))

5 cups sugar
1 cup water 1/2 cup corn syrup
Red food coloring

Raspberry Pastry Cream:
In a small sauce pot, warm the milk over low heat just to where it begins to start steaming.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, flour, and cornstarch until its completely smooth.

Once the milk is steaming, add 1/3 of it to the flour mixture. This step is called tempering! Once combined, add it back to the pot with the rest of the milk and stir constantly with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until it thickens.

Once thickened, add a couple tablespoons of butter at a time and stir into the cream mixture. Stir in the raspberry puree.

Strain, and let cool using an ice bath. Add the vanilla extract and cool completely. Pipe in the religieuse shells when cooled.

Fondant:

Combine the sugar, water, and corn starch in a medium sauce pot to incorporate.
Using a candy thermometer, place over high heat and let the mixture bubble up until it reaches a soft ball candy stage (at 235 degrees Fahrenheit) BE VERY CAREFUL TO NOT BURN YOURSELF!

Once the mixture has reached that stage, place into a kitchen aid bowl. Wipe the candy thermometer off and place back into the syrup until it cools down to 150 degrees.

Place the religieuse on top of a wire rack with a baking sheet below to catch the fondant when it falls off the dough.

Once the mixture has cooled, add the food coloring and mixture until it becomes opaque in color. Immediately pour the fondant into a small bowl, and begin to dip the stuffed shells. IT WILL SET UP QUICKLY, SO BE SURE TO ACT FAST. If the fondant seizes up, just microwave it to loosen it back up.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cups flour
8 large eggs
3 cups white cheddar
2 T thyme, picked

Method:

Preheat the oven to 44 degrees.

Heat the butter, water, salt, and cayenne pepper to a boil over medium heat.

Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously until the dough comes together forming a very wet looking ball, about 1-2 minutes.

Place the dough into a kitchen aid mixing bowl and let cool for 4 minutes.

Add the eggs ONE AT A TIME, only adding another egg when the previous one has been incorporated. Just before the last egg is going to be incorporated, add the cheddar and thyme. Stir to mix.

Place the batter into piping bags, and pipe into 1 inch circles lifting up to make sure they are not flattened. Bake for 25 minutes.

Ingredients:
1 1⁄2 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 1⁄2 cup water
1 1⁄2 cup whole milk
1⁄2 tsp salt
2 T sugar
3 cups all purpose flour
12 large eggs
Egg wash – 3 eggs plus 3 T milk

Method:

Combine the butter, water, milk, salt, and sugar together in a medium sauce pot over
medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted.

Bring mixture to a simmer, and once simmering reduce heat to low, and add the flour all at once.

Stir until the flour is completely incorporated and a thick dough clumps into a ball. Cook the ball of flour for one minute.

Remove from heat and place in a kitchen aid mixing bowl. Allow to cool down briefly.

With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs in 3-4 separate additions mixing for 30
seconds between each addition. The last addition of egg POUR IN VERY SLOWLY just
in case not all the egg needs to be added.

The desired dough will look shiny, thick, and smooth with a pipe-able consistency.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two large sheet trays with parchment, and lightly brush with water.

Transfer choux dough to a piping bag, and pipe dough into 2 inch mounds about 3
inches apart. Using a moistened finger, smooth down the peaks and lightly brush each
with egg wash.

Bake for 20 minutes then keep the pastries in the oven, and reduce oven to 350 degrees, and continue to bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
***DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DURING THIS PROCESS, AS COOL AIR WILL PREVENT THEM FROM PROPERLY PUFFING UP****

Allow to cool then split open the pastries, and fill with the creme.

Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk
3 T + 1tsp sugar
Pinch of salt
2 medium oranges
3 large egg yolks
1/2 oranges, zested
1 cups heavy cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Pour the milk into a medium sauce pot and add the sugar and salt.

Grate the zest of the 2 oranges into the milk and gently warm, remove from heat and let steep for 20 minutes covered and off heat.

In the Kitchenaid mixing bowl, beat the cream and vanilla together until thickened and set.

Whisk the egg yolks in separate bowl.

Gently rewarm the milk, and add 1/3 of the mixture to the egg yolks, and whisk to combine. Pour the mixture into the remaining milk, and place back onto the heat, stirring constantly to ensure curdling doesn’t happen. Cook until the custard begins to thicken and coats the spatula.

Immediately strain the custard into a bowl, and place in an ice bath pressing the zest in the strainer to extract as much flavor out.

Stir the custard until cool. When the creme anglaise is cooling, grate the orange into the custard.

In the bowl with the whipped cream, add in one cup of the orange creme anglaise. Add more anglaise until desired taste, but making sure it isn’t too runny. Chill until needed.