Pate A Choux, Mousseline Pralinee, Paris Brest

Chef's Paris Brests

My last shot at choux, I was determined to get it right, for 2 days of failure was driving me to despair! 

Meet Mini & Hairy

Turns out the culprit behind my previously less than stellar choux rise: eggs. My panada needed a mere 5 1/2 eggs (yes, you gotta beat the egg and add just half the amount into the mix) for optimal lift and structure, not 6 as stated in the recipe. I made the adjustment, and was rewarded with a pastry shell that raised beautifully and stayed proudly so. 

My Almost Perfect Paris Brest

I much prefer Paris Brest to Profiteroles and Eclairs; no tricky fondant to tamper, a fragrant praline mousse center and an almond topped peak which provided for a more interesting flavor and added texture to the end product.

Why almost perfect? The piping man, I would've done a bigger and better rosette piping if I had known there would be so much Mousseline left. That's me, never satisfied. 

Meet My Mini's

The end product was also much richer and heavier, as the Mousseline was made with 50% BUTTER. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Fridge Overload

Ah yes, my poor fridge groaning under the weight of my baking. :p

Pate A Choux, Eclairs, Creme Patissiere

 Chef's Pate A Choux

  

In addition to the fruit tart, these coffee eclairs will also be tested on assessment day. Knowing this made the lesson somewhat less enjoyable and a great source of stress.

I was quite glad to be given a second shot at choux, as they deflated after it was sliced open yesterday, so I was hoping today would be an improvement. My Coffee Love Boat

Once again for reasons beyond me, these tricksy pastry cases came out pretty flat, which made slicing and filling them a vexing affair. I take comfort in my Cream Patissiere and the execution of my piping, you can't fault a girl for trying, can you?

Pate A Choux, Profiteroles

Chef's Creations

This week is all about choux pastry, a light pastry dough that starts out in a pot as opposed to the trusty Kitchen Aid, where flour, water, butter and eggs are cooked to form a paste, or panada. This is turn is finally baked on high heat for the water in the panada to turn into steam. Steam, my friends, is what gives the paste lift and its trademark hollow center, a perfect vessel for holding luscious creams and fillings.

Today we started with some profiteroles. Think mini cream puffs without the custard cream center but whipped cream in its stead.

Profiterole Army

We had to top our profiteroles with tampered chocolate and fondant, in the ratio of 50-50. I deviated from that only so slightly and made 97 chocolate and 3 fondants (for the sake of trying). Close enough. 

Roles & Roles Galore

Pretty daisy pink ain't for me, so I went with the royal purple. Funky. They don't keep as well though, being made almost entirely out of sugar and eventually melting into the pastry - not a pretty sight. The chocolate covered ones did not last long either, but for entirely different reasons, you understand. ;)

My Chocolate Babies