Pâte à Choux:
Chouquettes with Plum & Meyer Lemon Preserves
Pâte à Choux:
Chouquettes with Plum & Meyer Lemon Preserves
Pâte à choux, often referred to as ‘choux pastry’, is a simple batter of flour and eggs beloved the world over for making luscious éclairs and profiteroles, sugary chouquettes, and cheesy gougères. The batter expands when cooked, leaving a cavity in the center, perfect for filling with jams, Nutella, mousses and creams, or making mini-sandwiches. The tricks to good choux pastry are 1) cooking it thoroughly on the stove so the batter dries out in the center while baking, and 2) not over-mixing when adding eggs, which makes the dough tough. Whether sweet or savory, these little puffs freeze well, in both baked and raw form... very handy for entertaining!
Difficulty:
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Makes 100 puffs
Yields 1 ¼ cups preserves
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups (350g) Milk
1 ½ cups (350g) Water
5 ½ oz. (175g) Butter
2 ¾ cups (375g) AP Flour
3 Tbsp. (45g) Sugar
1 tsp. Sea Salt
8 Eggs, divided
6 Plums, diced 1” (3 cups diced, 550g)
2 Tbsp. (45g) Creamy Honey
Zest of ¼ Meyer Lemon
1 tsp. Fruit Pectin
* Gougères: 1 ½ cups (150g) finely grated Gruyere or Parmesan, divided
Technique:
•Pâte à choux: Combine milk, water and butter in a large pot and heat on medium until butter is melted but not boiling.
•Add flour and stir aggressively with a wooden spoon. Cook the dough inside and out for 2-3 minutes, until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the pot; turn it out into the bowl of a mixer.
o*If making gougères, or cheese puffs, this would be the time to add 1 ¼ cups finely grated parmesan or Gruyere, (save the remaining ¼ cup to sprinkle on top)
•Transfer the batter into a piping bag with a 1.5 cm opening, and holding the tip 1” over the silpat, pipe a 1-inch mound. Swoosh the tip to disconnect.
oSweet toppings: rock sugar, sliced almonds, shredded coconut, lavender
oSavory toppings: fleur de sel, grated cheese, cracked pepper
oKeep an eye on coloration. Every oven is different so make sure your puffs are getting an even tan.
•Serve hot with the room temperature preserves, or cool to room temperature and freeze in an airtight container.
•Cook diced plums and honey on medium heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until bubbling. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes.
Saturday, Apr 21, 2012