Chouquettes
"Chouquette"(litteraly "little choux") is probably my favourite word of the French language: two little syllables that sound cheeky, cute and delicate, which I think is a perfect description of these little sugar puffs! Pâte à choux can seem a little bit daunting, but is actually quite easy to master, as long as you respect some essential steps.
Makes approximately 40 chouquettes - The chouquettes can be stored in an airtight container for 2/3 days but are best served they day they are made.
Prep time : 15 mn - Cooking time : 15/20 mn for one batch
Difficulty : **
Baking equipment needed :
- one piping bag + one round tip
- one baking sheet
Ingredients :
- 10 cL whole milk
- 11 cl water
- ½ tablespoon caster sugar
- 85 gr unsalted butter, diced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 115 gr all-purpose flour, sifted
- 40 gr/ 2 tablespoons crème fraîche or extra thick whipping cream (optional)
- 3 eggs, at room temperature (+ 1 for egg wash)
- app. 50 gr pearl sugar
- Prepare all of your ingredients and preheat the oven to 180°C/400F on fan mode.
- Prepare your pâte à choux. In a small saucepan, combine the milk, water, caster sugar, butter and salt. Bring to a boil on a medium heat: as soon as the first bubbles start to appear, remove from heat, add the flour all at once, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon or a whisk. Put the pan back on a low heat, and stir the dough: it will thicken quickly. Stir until the dough doesn’t stick to the sides of the pan anymore ( it happens in around 40 seconds for me!), then keep stirring for 1 to 2 minutes to “dry out” the dough. (Picture 1)
- Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and let it cool for ¾ minutes. Add the cream, and stir with a spatula or a wooden spoon. (Picture 2)
- Add the eggs one by one, stirring vigorously after each addition , as you don’t want your eggs to cook. It might seem at one point that you will never be able to incorporate the eggs, but trust me, you will, just keep stirring. (Picture 3)
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Fill in the piping bag with the dough (alternatively, you can use a freezing bag with the corner cut off or even form little balls with two little spoons).
- Pipe the chouquettes on the lined baking sheet : hold the piping bag vertically and very close ( 1 mm) to the baking sheet and press (this should form a little ball of dough), then release with a quick circular movement. If you end up with something looking more like gnome hats than choux (see Picture 4) , don’t worry. :-) (See Some problems...and some solutions at the bottom of the page)
- Dip your finger in hot water and tap / create circles gently on the dough to flatten the tip. Brush slightly with the egg wash using a pastry brush or the back of a spoon. (Picture 5)
- Sprinkle VERY generously with pearl sugar. This might seem like a crazy amount, but do not forget than the dough will rise and double up in volume. (Picture 6)
- Place the cooking sheet on the lower rack of your oven. Bake for 15/20 mn depending on the size of your chouquettes and your oven, checking at 12 mn if the chouquettes are already golden and "puffed up": if they are, place some aluminium foil on them, and cook a few more minutes to 15/ 20 mn. Do not open the oven for the fist 10 minutes!! Once they are nicely golden, leave them for 5 minutes in the oven, first with the door closed, then for a few minutes with the door slightly open.
Recipe adapted from Eric Kayser 's L'Atelier gourmand d'Eric Kayser, Larousse, 2014.
Some problems...and some solutions
How to form round and regular chouquettes?
To form regular and round chouquettes, place your piping bag very close to the baking sheet and press for a few seconds. You shouldn't need to move your piping bag in a circular motion right away. If your chouquettes look like small swirls (see Picture 7), it is probably because your piping bag is too far from the sheet. Don't worry though, the pâte à choux will puff up and this will lightly even out the imperfections.
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