For the choux balls: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F/190 degrees C. Put 1 1/2 cups/375 ml water, the butter, sugar and salt in a roomy saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the flour all at once, beating until it forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Return the pan to the heat for a minute or two and beat to dry it out a little. (Removing moisture will allow the paste to absorb more egg, which will ultimately make the puffs lighter.)
Remove the pan from the heat. Beat in the
eggs, the equivalent of one at a time, until fully incorporated. (Do not try to add them at once because they can't be incorporated quickly enough, it makes a total mess, and furthermore you may not need all of them.) After the third addition of egg, add only enough to make
dough that will fall, glossy and heavy, from the spoon. Beat in the vanilla. Spoon the dough into a piping bag.
Mix a bit of
milk into any remaining egg (if no egg left, use only milk). Have at the ready with a
pastry brush for glazing. Pipe the dough into evenly-sized (about 1 inch/2.5 cm) balls on a nonstick baking sheet, leaving a good 2 inches/5 cm between them so they have room to expand. Brush the tops with the glaze and press the snouts down with a fingertip. Bake until puffed up, light, dry and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, so they can breathe all around and will keep their shape and not go soggy.
For the pastry cream: Put the milk in a saucepan. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the milk and throw in the
pod. Bring just to a boil, remove from the heat, cover and set aside to infuse for 10 to 15 minutes.
Beat the yolks and sugar to pale, thick ribbons. Gradually beat in the flour and salt.
Whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture in a thin stream. Return the mixture to the
saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens.
Strain and set aside to cool with a buttered piece of waxed paper on top to prevent a skin from forming. When cool, fold in the
whipped cream.
For assembling: Put the
pastry cream in a piping bag with a sharp tip. Poke the tip into the choux balls and fill with pastry cream. Put the sugar in a saucepan with 1/2 cup water and dissolve. Boil to caramel (340 degrees F). Dip the choux balls into the
caramel and arrange in a circle on a platter or
cake stand. Continue dipping and build the balls up like a stone wall, preferably around an oiled cone (or flowerpot) to make a big tree. Spin some of the extra caramel around the tree. Set aside until ready to serve.
Chocolate Waffles with a Fresh Raspberry Syrup
Review This Recipe
You must be logged in to review this recipe.
or Sign Up to Review
Newest Ratings and Reviews
Read all 1 reviews
By and236
on December 10, 2012
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
I must have read and re-read this recipe six times. Even had another person read it.
It DOES NOT list the water under the listed ingredients. It only lists it in the directions.
Maybe it's just my computer? But make sure not to leave it out!The puff's themselves are very tasty. i added 2x the sugar
Read all 1 reviews