2018 KEEN YOUNG COOK FINALIST: KAI TREVETT
Croquembouche Filled with Vanilla Flavoured Cream
"I chose this dish because it shows a wide range of flavours, textures and skills which showcase my baking abilities."
Ingredients
Choux pastry:
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500ml water
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200g butter
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250g plain flour
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8 eggs
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Pinch of salt
Cream:
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500ml double cream
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1tsp vanilla extract
Caramel:
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300ml caster sugar
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100ml water
Method
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Preheat oven to 200c
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Add 500 ml of water to a pan with the butter and a pinch of salt and heat to a boil.
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Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the plain flower until the mixture is coming away from the sides of the pan.
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Transfer to a cool bowl and whisk in the eggs one at a time until completely glossy.
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Spoon the mixture into a piping bag. Pipe small blobs of the pastry about 2cm across onto a baking paper lined tray, leaving room for profiteroles to expand in the oven.
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Bake for 15 minutes until they have risen, turned golden and are crisp on the outside and cooked through. Allow to cool.
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Beat the cream and vanilla extract together until the cream becomes thick.
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Poke a small hole into the flat bottom of each profiterole and pipe the cream inside.
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Heat the caster sugar and warm up in a pan until it starts to turn an amber colour, taking it off the heat before it becomes too dark. Do not stir! But swill the pan occasionally.
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Take each profiterole and carefully with tongs, dip the rounded side into the caramel. Arrange the profiteroles, one at a time, in a circle around the inside rim of a serving plate until you have a complete ring, each time allowing the dripping caramel to stick it to the plate and making sure the sugar coated rounded top is facing out.
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Keep on constructing until you reach the peak and serve.