Here is one of my favourite recipes: vanilla craquelin choux buns filled with pastry cream. Quite simply a treat! Choux pastry is very simple to make despite everything people say on the subject, and so is pastry cream.
However, I advise you to make a craquelin which, as well as ensuring your choux bun rises evenly, will add an extra texture and enhance the whole thing, with a little salty taste. In short, it’s a simple little dessert, as indulgent as can be.
About ten years ago, I took a pastry class, kindly offered by my other half, whose theme was “choux buns, religieuses and glands”. Yes, because choux pastry scared me and I hadn’t yet dared to take the plunge. Today, choux pastry, I’ve got it down! Here are a few tips to get this dessert right every time.
How do I get my choux buns right?
The baking time will depend on your oven and the size of your choux buns. I give you an approximate time, but you need to learn to look at your choux buns to know when they’re baked. As the choux bun bakes, it rises and cracks. If it’s still white in the cracks, your choux bun isn’t baked yet and it may collapse if you open your oven door too early. The choux bun must be an even colour.
To open the oven or not? Good question… you see it written everywhere that you must absolutely not open the oven door once the choux buns are inside. And it’s true… if you open the door before the end of baking, your choux buns will sort of deflate.
If you’re only baking a single tray of choux buns, it’s better to use your oven in “conventional heat” mode with the tray in the middle of the oven. On the other hand, if you have 2 trays that you want to bake at the same time, then use the “fan” mode.
One last thing, I used water and milk to make the choux pastry. You can use only water or only milk, or do as I do. Mixing water and milk helps dry out the choux bun on the outside and gives a soft choux bun on the inside.
How do I flavour my pastry cream?
You can make a plain pastry cream and then divide it up to flavour it afterwards. If you add butter and vanilla, you get a vanilla pastry cream. If you add chocolate, you get a chocolate pastry cream. If you add praline, you get a praline pastry cream. If you add speculoos spread, you get a speculoos pastry cream, etc…
If you’re making a chocolate pastry cream, don’t add butter. The chocolate is fatty enough as it is.
The steps for making choux pastry in pictures in my previous article: choux pastry (step by step in pictures)
Ingredients & Method
4 components · Full recipe
Pastry Cream (can even be made the day before)
Ingredients
- 500 g (17.6 oz) whole milk
- 80 g (2.8 oz) egg yolks (4–5 eggs depending on size)
- 120 g (4.2 oz) sugar
- 50 g (1.8 oz) cornstarch
- 75 g (2.6 oz) butter
- 1 vanilla pod
Method
1
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture turns pale and thick.
2
Add the cornstarch and mix well.
3
Bring 500 ml (16.9 fl oz) of milk to the boil in a large saucepan. Slowly pour a little hot milk into the bowl in a thin stream, whisking constantly to temper the mixture, then pour everything back into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk.
4
Whisk over a medium heat until the cream thickens.
5
Transfer to a bowl and add the butter cut into pieces. Whisk vigorously until the butter melts, then cover with cling film pressed directly onto the surface.
6
Leave to cool at room temperature first, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
7
Once the pastry cream has chilled, transfer it to a clean bowl.
8
Split the vanilla pod in half lengthways. Scrape the inside of each half with the blade of your knife to extract the seeds. Add the seeds to the bowl with the pastry cream.
Craquelin
Ingredients
- 60 g (2.1 oz) soft butter
- 75 g (2.6 oz) light brown sugar
- 75 g (2.6 oz) flour
- 1 pinch fleur de sel
Method
1
In a bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar and fleur de sel, then add the soft butter and knead for a few minutes until a smooth, homogeneous dough forms.
2
Roll the dough to a 3 mm thickness between two sheets of baking paper.
3
Cut out discs to match the diameter of your choux (slightly larger if you want the craquelin to fully cover the puff, slightly smaller if you want it to reach halfway up). You can use a cutter, a piping nozzle, etc.
Choux Pastry
Ingredients
- 100 g (3.5 oz) water
- 100 g (3.5 oz) milk
- 2 g (0.1 oz) sugar
- 2 g (0.1 oz) salt
- 80 g (2.8 oz) butter
- 120 g (4.2 oz) flour
- 200 g (7.1 oz) eggs
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 230°C / 450°F.
2
Place the water, milk, salt, sugar and butter in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and add the flour all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon.
3
Return to the heat for 30 seconds to dry out the panade — it should just start 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
Beat the eggs and add them gradually to the dough. It should be neither too thick nor too runny — it should fall in a ribbon. (If using a hand mixer, use the dough hooks rather than the whisk. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment.)
6
Using a piping bag, pipe the dough onto a baking-paper-lined tray, holding the bag straight.
7
Place a disc of frozen craquelin on top of each choux.
8
Before putting in the oven, reduce the temperature to 175°C / 350°F and bake for approximately 20–25 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Assembly
Ingredients
- —
Method
1
Use an electric hand mixer to smooth the pastry cream and incorporate the vanilla seeds. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a plain 8 mm nozzle.
2
Use a knife to pierce a small hole in the underside of each choux.
3
Fill the choux with pastry cream and refrigerate until serving. Note: choux are best eaten on the day they are made — they do not like the humidity of the fridge.
Gallery
