Name: Croquembouche
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 150 min
Yield: 1 recipe
Ingredients: all-purpose flour; water; butter; sugar; salt; eggs; vanilla paste; cornstarch; cream of tartar; heavy cream; sugar (for caramel)

Method

8 steps

Make choux pastry by boiling water, butter, sugar, and salt, then adding flour and cooking until it forms a dry ball.
Remove from heat and incorporate eggs one at a time until smooth.
Pipe small rounds of choux pastry onto a baking sheet and wet the peaks with water to prevent burning.
Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 10 minutes until golden brown and hollow inside.
Prepare creme Patisserie by heating cream and sugar, then adding cornstarch and vanilla paste, cooking until thickened, and pouring into a bowl to cool.
Fill a piping bag with the creme Patisserie and pipe into cooled profiteroles.
Dip each profiterole in caramel and assemble into a tower on a serving platter, sticking them together with caramel.
Make caramel by melting sugar with water and cream of tartar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, then dip profiteroles into caramel to attach and form the tower.