Quince And Prickly Pear Croquembouche Recipes

CROQUEMBOUCHE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter, salt, and sugar to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. When it boils, immediately take the pan off the heat. Stirring with a wooden spoon, add all the flour at once and stir hard until all the flour is incorporated, 30 to 60 seconds. Return the pan to the heat and cook, stirring, 30 seconds to evaporate some of the moisture.
• Scrape the mixture into a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer). Mix at medium speed. With the mixer running, and working 1 egg at a time, add 6 of the eggs, stopping after each addition to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix until the dough is smooth and glossy and the eggs are completely incorporated. The dough should be thick, but should fall slowly and steadily from the beaters when you lift them out of the bowl. If the dough is still clinging to the beaters, add 1 or 2 more eggs, and mix until incorporated.
• Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip, pipe the dough in big kisses onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Whisk 2 eggs with 3 teaspoons of water. Brush the surface of the dough with the egg wash to knock down the points (do not use all the egg wash.) Bake 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375-degrees and bake until puffed up and light golden brown, about 20 minutes more. Try not to open the oven door too often during the baking. Let cool on the baking sheet. The recipe can be made up to this point and frozen in plastic bags. Filling: In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla bean to a boil over medium heat. Immediately turn off the heat and set aside to infuse for 10 to 15 minutes. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture until incorporated. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture, reserving the empty saucepan.
• Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slowly boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and any flavorings if you want to make a different flavor like chocolate or coffee. Let cool slightly. Cover with plastic wrap, lightly pressing the plastic against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill at least 2 hours or until ready to serve. The custard can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Poke a hole with a plain pastry tip in the bottom of each cream puff and pipe it full of the custard.
• Caramel: Dissolve the sugar in a saucepan with the water, making an "X" through the sugar with your finger to allow the water to slowly soak into the sugar. Boil to make a light golden caramel then dip the bottom of the pan in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Dip the sides of the puffs in the caramel and stick them together (approximately 20 cream puffs) in a circle, tops facing out. Make a second row on top of the first but a bit smaller to draw the circle in and create a tower of cream puffs. Check it from all sides occasionally to make sure it's straight. When it's finished, drizzle it with caramel all over. You can also stick on decorative elements with the caramel in the crevices, like candied violets, gold balls, gum paste flowers, sugar covered almonds, etc.

CROQUEMBOUCHE

Steps:

• For the Cream Filling: Prepare the cream fillings: Sprinkle the gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water in a bowl and set aside to bloom.
• Place the milk in a pan. Halve the vanilla beans lengthwise; scrape out the seeds with a paring knife, then add the seeds and pods to the milk. Bring to a simmer, then cover and remove from the heat.
• Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.
• Remove the vanilla pods from the milk. Gradually whisk one-third of the warm milk into the egg mixture.
• Whisk the egg mixture into the remaining milk in the pan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens, 6 minutes. Continue boiling until the mixture is custard-like, 3 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat. Slice the butter into pieces and whisk into the custard, then stir in the gelatin mixture.
• Microwave the chocolate until melted, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring. Mix 2 tablespoons hot water with the espresso. Transfer half of the cream filling to a bowl, then stir in the chocolate and espresso.
• Transfer the remaining cream filling to another bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the chocolate and vanilla creams and refrigerate until cold and firm, at least 2 hours.
• When ready to fill the puffs, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks with a mixer. Fold half into the vanilla cream filling and half into the chocolate filling.
• Transfer each filling to a large pastry bag with a 1/4-inch tip and set aside. (To do this cleanly, cuff the open end of the pastry bag over your hand.)
• For the Pastry Puffs: Unfilled puffs can be frozen for up to a week. To re-crisp, thaw, then brush with a beaten egg; bake 5 minutes at 350 degrees.
• While the fillings chill, make the pastry puffs: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Bring 1 1/2 cups water, the butter, sugar and salt to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring to melt the butter.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the flour with a wooden spoon to make a paste. Return to the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste is shiny and pulls away from the pan, 6 to 7 minutes. Cool slightly.
• Transfer the paste to a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on medium-low speed to cool, 1 minute. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Transfer the dough to a large pastry bag with a 1/2-inch tip. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, dabbing a bit of dough under the corners to keep the paper in place. Pipe 1 1/2-inch balls of dough onto the paper (about 48 total).
• Smooth the dough peaks with a wet finger. Bake until puffed, 15 to 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake until golden, 15 minutes. Turn off the oven; keep the puffs inside 10 minutes to dry out. Pierce each puff with a dry piping tip; transfer to a rack to cool.
• To Assemble: Fill half of the puffs with chocolate cream and half with vanilla: Insert the tip of the pastry bag into the hole and squeeze until full. Chill the filled puffs 30 minutes before assembling the tower.
• Make the caramel: Mix the sugar, corn syrup and 1 cup water in a saucepan, cover and bring to a boil over high heat; don't stir. Uncover and boil, swirling the pan, until the syrup turns deep amber, 20 minutes.
• Immediately dip the bottom of the saucepan in a large bowl of ice water for a few seconds to stop the cooking.
• Transfer the caramel to a liquid measuring cup and cool slightly (it should still be liquid). Be careful-the caramel will still be hot!
• Draw a 7-inch circle on parchment paper. Partially dip each filled puff into the caramel and let the excess drip off. Arrange the puffs around the circle. If the caramel hardens, microwave until soft, 45 seconds.
• Fill the base circle with more puffs for stability, then continue building a conical tower of smaller circles. Top the tower with a single puff. Line your work surface with parchment paper-the next step can be messy.
• Dip the tip of a fork into the caramel and quickly wave it in circles around the tower to create a web of caramel strands. Repeat. Let set, then slide two spatulas under the paper and transfer the croquembouche to a platter. Tear off the excess paper around the base.
• To serve, crack the caramel web with the back of a knife, then dismantle the tower and transfer the cream puffs to plates.

PRICKLY PEAR MARGARITA

Steps:

• Combine the tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and pear syrup in a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously to incorporate. Wet the rim of a margarita glass and dip into salt and sugar mixture. Pour margarita into glass over ice. Garnish with a kumquat and a curled piece of lime peel.

PRICKLY PEAR SYRUP

Steps:

• With the tip of a sharp knife, scrape off the thorns of the prickly pears. Cut off the ends of the fruit and then make a lengthwise slit through the skin and peel off and discard the skin. Repeat with the remaining fruit. Cut the fruit into large pieces, transfer to a food processor and process until pureed. Strain through a fine sieve. There should be approximately 2 cups of liquid.
• In a saucepan, combine the prickly pear puree, water, sugar, mint, and the cinnamon stick. Be sure to scrape the seeds from the vanilla, and then put both the seeds and the pod into the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for about 20 minutes.
• Taste to make sure that the flavors are balanced. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Use the syrup to ladle over fresh fruits.

SPRING CROQUEMBOUCHE

Steps:

• Put a 3 7/8-by-11 7/8-inch Styrofoam craft cone on a serving platter. Starting at the bottom of the cone and working in an upward spiral, insert a row of wooden toothpicks 2 inches apart. Insert 5 more evenly spaced rows of toothpicks around the cone.
• Press a large White Chocolate Strawberry onto one toothpick in the first row (place the large strawberries on the bottom and work up to the smaller strawberries on top). Repeat the process with the Cream Puffs on the next row of toothpicks. Add the Meringue Swirls on the row after that. Repeat with the strawberries, cream puffs and meringues on the remaining 3 rows. Fill in any holes by adding more toothpicks to the cone and pressing on the remaining strawberries, cream puffs and meringues. Slip the Meringue Leaves into any gaps, distributing them evenly around the croquembouche. Gently drape the tower with the Spun Sugar and serve immediately.
• Lightly spray a baking rack with nonstick cooking spray and set in a rimmed baking sheet. Using a paring knife, trim off the tops of the strawberries. Put the strawberries top-side down on the prepared rack and place in the freezer until very cold but not frozen, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each, until melted, about 3 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes.
• Spoon 1 tablespoon of the chocolate over each strawberry and let set, about 30 seconds. Drizzle the chocolate over some of the set strawberries to create stripes; spoon some more of the chocolate over the remaining strawberries and decorate with the sanding sugars and sprinkles. Let set completely, about 30 minutes.
• For the pastry: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Combine the butter, granulated sugar, salt and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When the mixture comes to a boil, add all the flour at once and stir with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated and smooth, about 1 minute. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 30 seconds more. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition until they are completely incorporated and the mixture is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a medium round tip. Pipe fourteen 2-inch-wide cream puffs onto one of the prepared baking sheets with half the dough, spacing them 1/2 inch apart. Pipe twenty-eight 1-inch-wide cream puffs onto the other baking sheet with the remaining dough. Dip your finger in water and use it to smooth out any bumps or points in the dough.
• Bake the cream puffs for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees F; continue to bake until the cream puffs are puffed up and golden brown, about 10 minutes more. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
• For the whipped cream: Combine the cream, granulated sugar and vanilla in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Transfer the cream to a pastry bag fitted with small round tip.
• Set aside all 14 of the 2-inch puffs and 16 of the 1-inch puffs for filling (freeze the extra puffs for later use or fill and eat them separately). Use the pastry tip to gently poke a hole in the bottom of the reserved puffs. Pipe the cream into the puffs until they are just filled (do not overfill).
• For the glaze: Put the confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl and whisk in the juice until smooth. Dip the top of each cream puff in the glaze, letting the excess drip off before turning over and placing on a cooling rack. Let rest until the glaze is dry and shiny, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Put the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or use an electric hand mixer); beat on medium speed until frothy, about 2 minutes. Add the cream of tartar and increase the speed to medium high; beat in the granulated sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until the meringue is thick, glossy and holds stiff peaks, about 6 minutes more. Remove 1 cup of the meringue to a small bowl and whisk in the green and yellow food coloring. Beat the red food coloring into the remaining meringue.
• Fill a pastry bag fitted with a small star tip with the pink meringue. Pipe half the meringue into 2-inch swirls on half of a prepared baking sheet, spacing the swirls about 1/2 inch apart. Pipe the remaining pink meringue into 1-inch swirls on the other half of the baking sheet.
• Fill a pastry bag fitted with a leaf tip with the green meringue. Pipe a variety of leaves on the second prepared baking sheet.
• Bake the meringues until dry, 30 to 45 minutes; you do not want any color or browning on the swirls. Remove the meringues from the oven and let cool completely, about 20 minutes. Reserve 8 of the larger swirls, 7 of the smaller swirls and 25 of the leaves for the croquembouche. Store any extras in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
• Combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup and 1/4 cup water in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Cook to 300 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Let cool to 275 degrees F.
• Position 2 wooden spoons 2 feet apart on similar-size bowls with their handles sticking out over the edge by 6 inches. Put newspaper or foil on the counter below the spoons.
• Dip a fork in the sugar syrup and flick it back and forth over the spoon handles to create lots of long thin threads. Repeat 3 to 4 times, then gently gather up the threads and put them on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining sugar until it is all spun.