Croquembouche – Bruno Albouze

How to Make Croquembouche - Step-by-Step Tutorial

Step 1: Prepare Hawaiian Icing Glass

1. Beat one egg white with 8 oz of powdered sugar and a few drops of lemon juice on high speed until stiff peaks form. This will be used to give a fancy touch to your nougatine.

Step 2: Make Perfect Pâte à Choux Pastry

1. In a saucepan, combine water, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil.
2. Remove from heat and stir in flour. Return to heat and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the mixture pulls away from the sides and forms a film on the bottom of the pan.
3. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and mix on low speed until slightly cooled.
4. Add the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition until a soft peak forms. Ensure the pastry is neither too hard nor too soft.

Step 3: Pipe Choux Pastry for Croquembouche

1. Use a 12mm open star pastry tip to pipe small, round choux pastry shapes. This helps them rise evenly without cracking.
2. Dust the pastries with powdered sugar for a perfect finish instead of using egg wash.

Step 4: Prepare Crème Mousseline Filling

1. Bring milk, vanilla, and half of the sugar to a simmer.
2. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks, remaining sugar, flour, and cold stock.
3. Gradually whisk the hot milk into the yolk mixture, then return the custard to the stove and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Whisk in half of the butter, cool the custard, then beat on high speed while adding the remaining butter until creamy and fluffy.

Step 5: Fill and Glaze Croquembouche

1. Fill each choux pastry with the crème mousseline using a small pastry tip.
2. Scrape off any excess filling and place the pastries upside down.
3. Make a batch of caramel and glaze each pastry with a light caramel coating.
4. Optionally, coat the pastries with caramel and pearl sugar for decoration.

Step 6: Assemble Croquembouche

1. Create a base by stacking the choux pastries in a pyramid shape, ensuring they are tightly packed together.
2. Continue stacking the pastries in decreasing numbers per row until you reach the top.
3. Use a nougatine cone for support if needed.

Step 7: Final Touches

1. Glue small nougatine discs with Halfmoon shapes on top of the croquembouche for decoration.
2. Your Croquembouche is now ready to be served as a centerpiece for a celebration.

By following these steps, you can create a stunning and delicious Croquembouche just like Bruno Albouze demonstrated in his video. Enjoy your baking adventure!