Here’s the kind of pastry I love making (and eating, obviously!!): vanilla chouquettes. Choux, vanilla… everything I love. To tell you the truth, I love choux so much that I have the unfortunate habit of eating them before they’re even filled 😉 In this recipe I suggest filling them with a delicious vanilla diplomat cream, but you could just as well make a pastry cream if you prefer (it’s a little less light but just as good).
How do I get my choux buns right?
When you’re starting out in baking, choux pastry tends to be a bit scary. In reality, it’s not that complicated, I promise! To help you make these vanilla chouquettes, a few years ago I wrote an article detailing the choux pastry recipe with a step-by-step in pictures and plenty of tips and little tricks. Take the time to read this article before starting and keep in mind the most important tip when it comes to baking: you must not open the oven before the choux bun is baked! Even if you really want to check on the baking more closely. And if you have a doubt about whether the choux is properly baked, you can very well turn off the oven and let it dry out a little longer.
How do I make a diplomat cream?
Diplomat cream is made from pastry cream. So you first need to make a pastry cream (it’s a mixture of egg yolks, sugar and cornflour to which hot milk is added, then everything goes back into the saucepan and is boiled for a few minutes to cook the cream properly). Gelatine is then added and, when the pastry cream is cold, you finish by adding whipped cream. This gives a cream that’s lighter than pastry cream.
Note that diplomat cream can easily be flavoured. You can replace the vanilla with pistachio paste or hazelnut praline.
Ingredients & method
3 components · Full recipe
Vanilla diplomat cream (can be made the day before)
Ingredients
- 440 g (15.5 oz) whole milk
- 1 Madagascar vanilla pod
- 80 g (2.8 oz) caster sugar
- 80 g (2.8 oz) egg yolks (about 4 large eggs)
- 40 g (1.4 oz) cornstarch
- 2 gelatine sheets
- 30 g (1.1 oz) unsalted butter
- 150 g (5.3 oz) whipping cream
Preparation
1
Soak the gelatine sheets in very cold water for 10 minutes.
2
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture turns pale.
3
Add the cornstarch and mix.
4
Bring the milk to a boil with the vanilla seeds and pod in a large saucepan. Slowly pour three-quarters of the milk into the bowl in a thin stream, whisking constantly, then pour everything back into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk.
5
Whisk over medium heat until the cream thickens, about 2–3 minutes.
6
Off the heat, add the squeezed gelatine and the cold butter cut into pieces, and mix well.
7
Pour into a wide dish, cover with cling film directly on the surface, and leave to cool in the fridge for at least 1 hour (you can even do this step the day before).
8
The next day (or 1 hour later), transfer the pastry cream to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk at full speed for 2–3 minutes to aerate it.
9
Whip the cream to a soft chantilly and fold it into the pastry cream in 3 additions.
Choux pastry
Ingredients
- 100 g (3.5 oz) water
- 100 g (3.5 oz) milk
- 2 g (0.1 oz) salt
- 2 g (0.1 oz) sugar
- 80 g (2.8 oz) butter
- 120 g (4.2 oz) flour
- 4 eggs (about 200 g (7.1 oz))
- pearl sugar
Preparation
1
Preheat the oven to 230°C / 450°F.
2
In a saucepan, combine the water, milk, salt, sugar and butter. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and add the flour all at once. Mix vigorously with a wooden spoon.
3
Return to the heat for 30 seconds to dry out the dough (the panade should just begin to stick to the bottom of the pan).
4
Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Leave to cool for a few minutes.
5
Add the eggs one at a time (you may need a fifth egg, depending on size). The dough should be neither too thick nor too runny — it should form a ribbon. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment rather than the whisk.
6
Pipe small 2–3 cm (1.2 in) choux onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper (hold the piping bag straight up).
7
Brush the choux with a beaten whole egg (you may have one left over) and tap the tops to smooth out any peaks.
8
Scatter pearl sugar over the choux.
9
Before baking, reduce the oven temperature to 175°C / 350°F and bake according to the size of your choux (about 25 minutes). As the choux bake, they puff up and crack. If the cracks are still pale, the choux are not done yet — they should be evenly golden all over.
Assembling the vanilla chouquettes
Ingredients
- None
Preparation
1
Pierce the underside of each chou with a knife.
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