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:

• 500ml water

• 200g butter

• 250g plain flour

• 8 eggs

• Pinch of salt

Cream:

• 500ml double cream

• 1tsp vanilla extract

Caramel:

• 300ml caster sugar

• 100ml water

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​Method

1. Preheat oven to 200c

2. Add 500 ml of water to a pan with the butter and a pinch of salt and heat to a boil.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the plain flower until the mixture is coming away from the sides of the pan.

4. Transfer to a cool bowl and whisk in the eggs one at a time until completely glossy.

5. 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.

6. Bake for 15 minutes until they have risen, turned golden and are crisp on the outside and cooked through. Allow to cool.

7. Beat the cream and vanilla extract together until the cream becomes thick.

8. Poke a small hole into the flat bottom of each profiterole and pipe the cream inside.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. Keep on constructing until you reach the peak and serve.   

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