Choux Christmas Wreath

Choux Au Craquelin Christmas Wreath

MAKES 2 WREATHS

Moderate

75 min - Preparation time

25 min - Cooking time

RECIPE DEVELOPED BY:

The ICA chef lecturers

STYLING & PHOTOGRAPHY:

ICA Team

WINE PAIRING:

Download Template

CRAQUELIN

30 g butter, room temperature

30 g granulates sugar

30 g cake flour

Pinch salt

CHOUX PASTRY

100 g water

50 g salted butter, cubed

15 g granulated sugar

0.5 ml salt

75 g cake flour

2 egg, beaten

CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA DIPLOMAT CREAM FILLING

2 egg yolks

50 g granulated white sugar

20 g corn flour

250 ml milk

2.5 ml vanilla essence

30 g chocolate, finely chopped

150 ml cream

SHORT CUT: Instead of Chocolate and vanilla diploma filling, replace with store bought Chocolate mousse and pipe as mentioned above (dark chocolate or white chocolate combination).

TO SERVE

Choux au craquelin wreath

Vanilla flavoured diplomat cream

Chocolate flavoured diplomat cream

Icing sugar, for dusting

Fresh cherries

CRAQUELIN

Cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Mix in the flour and pinch of salt until a dough forms.
Roll between two pieces of baking paper until 2mm thick and freeze.

CHOUX PASTRY

Combine the water, butter, sugar and salt in a sauce pan and bring to a rolling boil.
Shoot in all the flour while mixing with a wooden spoon.
Continue stirring over heat for 30 seconds, remove and allow to cool.
Once cool, beat in the eggs little by little to reach a smooth, glossy and pipeable consistency.
Place in a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm plain nozzle and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Place a piece of baking paper on the wreath template and pipe the choux, filling each round.
Using a 2.5 cm cookie cutter, cut out rounds of the frozen craquelin and place one on top of each of the piped choux rounds.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180˚C until golden, ± 15 minutes.
Reduce the temperature to 160˚C and continue to bake until dried out and hollow, ± 10 minutes.

CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA DIPLOMAT CREAM FILLING

Cream yolks and sugar together.
Make a slurry with the corn flour and a little bit of the cold milk.
Scald the rest of the milk.
Temper the milk into the egg mixture and return to the heat.
Using a whisk, stir continuously and cook until a thick custard.
Flavour with vanilla essence.
Pour half of the vanilla flavoured custard into a bowl and cover the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Allow to cool.
Add the chopped chocolate to the remaining warm custard in the saucepan and stir until the chocolate is melted.
Pour into a bowl and cover the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Allow to cool.
Whip cream until firm peaks form.
Whisk both cooled custards until smooth.
Divide cream in half, add to each custard and whisk to combine.
Transfer to two piping bags fitted with a 1 cm plain nozzle.

TO SERVE

Using a bread knife, slice wreath in half horizontally.
Carefully remove top and set aside.
Pipe diplomat cream alternating between the two flavours.
Place top back on and dust with icing sugar.
Finish with fresh cherries.

A show-stopping Christmas dessert: golden Choux au Craquelin Wreath filled with silky chocolate and vanilla diplomat cream, topped with cherries.

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Choux Christmas Wreath

CRAQUELIN

CHOUX PASTRY

CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA DIPLOMAT CREAM FILLING

SHORT CUT: Instead of Chocolate and vanilla diploma filling, replace with store bought Chocolate mousse and pipe as mentioned above (dark chocolate or white chocolate combination).

TO SERVE

CRAQUELIN

CHOUX PASTRY

CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA DIPLOMAT CREAM FILLING

TO SERVE

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