Cooking School – Choux Pastry

By / Food / April 14th, 2009 / 3

Feel like impressing your guests this weekend? Why not whip up a dessert of crispy croquembouche? It’s easy to do as long as you know how to make choux pastry. Containing only butter, water, flour and eggs, this is an amazingly light pastry. The high moisture content in the dough is actually what causes it to rise. When the dough is heated in the oven or deep-fried in oil, the water turns to steam, which puffs out the pastry and creates those lovely holes. Once cooked, it provides a tasty pocket for sweet or savoury fillings.

Use choux pastry to make these yummy treats:

Profiteroles – small, round pastries filled with a sweet or savoury filling. My favourite is whipped cream flavoured with a few drops of amaretto liqueur. They’re also called cream puffs or choux buns.

Croquembouche — profiteroles that have been dipped in caramel and stacked on top of each other around a pyramid centre. This dessert is a feast for the eyes as much as for one’s taste buds!

Potatoes Dauphine – served as an accompaniment to any kind of meat, it consists of pastry that has had mashed potatoes added to it. It’s then deep-fried until golden brown.

 

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