Choux au craquelin with vanilla and rose

Cream puffs (choux au craquelin) with vanilla and rose is probably on my favourite afternoon tea treats. I can honestly say that I have made enough in my time as a pastry chef to build another big Ben (maybe two!).  Now you might ask what is choux au craquelin?! Good question! Choux au craquelin is a dessert made with choux pastry, and topped with a thin frozen cookie disc called craquelin. The craquelin is made with a mix of butter, caster sugar and flour, adding a layer of sweetness and crunchiness. Don’t be intimated by the fancy name, making choux that way is actually much easier than it sounds and it always guarantees your choux to puff up evenly. The profiteroles themselves will be filled with a luxurious diplomat cream flavoured with vanilla caviar and rose petals. These little treats are perfect to impress at any party as they make a luxurious centrepiece at the dessert buffet. Come on open a bottle of bubbly and treat yourself!

Ingredients for the crème diplomat

• Whole milk: Whole milk will be the base of the pastry cream. Always use whole milk for all your anglaise based creams as it gives more stability and richness to the finished product.
• Egg yolks: Two egg yolks will be used for this recipe for extra richness and smoothness.
• Caster sugar: Caster sugar has a finer texture in comparison to coarser sugars resulting in a smoother pastry cream.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch is what separates the pastry cream from a simple anglaise as the cornstarch will thicken up and set the pastry cream. You can also use custard powder for a more intense egg yolk colour.
• Unsalted butter: Unsalted butter will be added at the end for extra richness. It will also help setting the pastry cream.
• Vanilla pod: I love vanilla pod in most of my bakes but it is absolutely necessary for pastry cream. Also the vanilla caviar running through the cream makes it extra pretty!
• Cream: The addition of whipped cream is what will transform the pastry cream to a crème diplomat.
• Rose petals: Rose petals give a much more distinctive and clean flavour than rosewater essence.

Ingredients for the craquelin

• Unsalted butter: The butter needs to be cubed and cold so the dough keeps firm and doesn’t melt.
• Plain flour: Plain flour is ideal for the craquelin as its medium gluten content helps the choux rise without being too heavy.
• Caster sugar: Caster sugar will be used for the craquelin as the red colour will show more. You can also use light brown sugar which is ideal for caramel fillings.
• Red gel food colouring: You can use as much or as little colour as you want just make sure it is gel as any diluted colours with added water and change the consistency of the craquelin.

Ingredients for the pate a choux

• Whole milk: Milk acts as a tenderizer in baked goods so make sure you use whole milk to achieve a stable choux.
• Unsalted butter: Make sure the butter is cubed so it melts evenly when heated.
• Salt: The addition of salt is essential to create a pleasant contrast against the sweet filling.
• Sugar: Not many people add sugar to the pate a choux but together with the salt it creates a perfectly balanced choux.
• Plain flour: Plain or 00 flour is ideal for pate a choux as it allows the choux to rise and steam. Make sure to sieve it to avoid any lumps.
• Whole eggs: 80g of whole eggs will be used for the recipe which is about one and a half eggs.

For the crème diplomat (makes enough to fill 30 profiteroles)

• 125g whole milk
• 50g egg yolk (2 egg yolks)
• 35g caster sugar
• 10g corn starch
• 35g butter
• 1 vanilla pod
• 10g dried rose petals
• 150g cream

For the craquelin (makes one small sheet enough for 30 profiteroles)

• 90g plain flour
• 90g caster sugar
• 75g butter
• Red gel food colouring

For the pate a choux (makes 30 medium sized profiteroles)

• 65g water
• 20g whole milk
• Pinch of salt
• 3g sugar
• 35g butter
• 50g plain flour (sifted)
• 80g eggs (about 1 and a half eggs)

How to make the craquelin

1. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, add sugar, cold cubed butter, and the desirable amount of red colour and rub together until the mixture forms a dough.
2. Roll out to 2mm between 2 sheets of parchment paper and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes or until needed.

How to make the crème diplomat 

1. Put the milk in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, take off the heat, add the rose petals and let infuse at room temperature for 1 hour.
2. Next drain the milk and reweight to make sure you have 125g of milk*.
3. Place in a clean saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the split vanilla pod into the milk and drop in the split pod too. Bring to the boil.
4. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch. Continue whisking until the mixture slightly thickens and turns into light colour, 2-3 minutes.
5. Pour half the infused milk into the mixing bowl and whisk again till there are no lumps*.
6. Return the mixture back the mixture back to the remaining milk in the pan.
7. Continuously whisk the mixture until it comes to the boil.
8. Reduce the temperature to a simmer and continue to stir and cook for 3-5 minutes.
9. Take the pan off the heat and pour the crème patisserie into a shallow tray.
10. Cover with cling film and allow cooling at room temperature before placing it in the fridge for at least an hour or until completely set.
11. To make the crème diplomat simply semi-whip the cream and fold in into the cooled crème Patissiere.
12. Place in a piping bag with a star nozzle attached ready to fill the profiteroles.

How to make the pate a choux

1. Heat the milk, water, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to the boil.
2. Take the pan of the heat and add the sifted flour. Use a spatula to stir until completely combined.
3. Return the pan to the hob, reduce the heat to low and continue stirring with a spatula until the dough leaves the sides of the pan and doesn’t taste of floury*.
4. Take off the heat; transfer the dough to a mixing bowl and leave to cool for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Gradually add the beaten eggs into the dough.
6. Beat with a spatula until the mixture is smooth. The consistency shouldn’t be neither too soft nor too hard. It should drop off the spoon leaving a smooth V shape.
7. Preheat the oven at 200°C.
8. Place the pate a choux into a piping bag fitted with an 8mm round nozzle. Pipe thirty 2cm bulbs onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving gaps in between.
9. Use a 2cm round cutter to cut the craquelin into discs and top the piped choux with the craquelin discs.
10. Bake for 14-15 minutes*. Turn the oven temperature down to 180°C and continue to cook for 6-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. 

Assemble the choux au craquelin 

1. Once the choux buns are cooled, cut them in half lengthways.
2. Pipe a generous of amount of the crème diplomat on top of the choux, then top with the pink lid of the choux bun.
3. These are best served the same day but can be kept in the fridge for up to two days.
4. Enjoy 🙂

Notes

• The rose petals will suck up some of the milk while infusing. Most likely, you will lose some liquid so do make sure to reweight to guarantee the correct weight.
• Pouring some of the hot milk in the whipped eggs and sugar is called tempering and it prevents the eggs from curdling. We don’t want scrambled egg filling for our profiteroles!
• You might think I am insane (and sometimes can be true!) but tasting the choux while cooking is the best way to understand if your choux is cooked. If it still tastes floury, pop it back and cook for a bit longer.
• When cooking choux it is vital that you do not open the oven for 12-15 minutes after placing the choux in the oven. Choux pastry rises when the moisture in the dough heats and creates steam; if the oven is opened before the outside of the dough has time to cook, the steam comes out of the paste and the pastry collapses.

Meringue kisses,
Athina xx