Week Five of Pastry Class was focused on Pâte à Choux pastries. These were a little tricky, I definitely think this is one of those desserts you have to master over time to get just right. Above are my Cream Puffs, some stuffed with vanilla pastry cream and some with caramel pastry cream. The cream itself is so delicious you could just stop there and forget the pastry. Stuffing them was not fun, I could have use two more arms, but again, practice makes perfect. We dipped the top in a delicious chocolate ganache made with the 65% dark chocolate and whipping cream, so easy!
We used caramelized sugar to seal up the hole on the bottoms where we filled the puffs, but we were also shown how to stack the puffs to make a Croquembouche, a traditional French wedding cake.
The inside of a Caramel Cream Puff.
Some students also made savory puffs with cheddar and dill.
We also made Eclairs, which is exactly the same as a Cream Puff, just a different shape. These were tricky to pipe because you need to leave enough room for the filling.
They were pretty cute and just the right size for a little treat.
For Recipes Check Out: The Gourmandise School
Hi Alex! I just found your blog as I am thinking of doing the Pro Pastry program at Gourmandise. I think your blog is Awesome and you have the same obsession with dessert that I do! I just had a few questions: So far how are you liking the Gourmandise pro pastry program and are you thinking of taking Pro Pastry 2 & 3? Also, are you thinking of going into pastry as a career or just taking these classes for fun? I currently work in TV and am thinking of changing careers and going into pastry.
ReplyDeleteHey Karen - I LOVED Pro Pastry 1, I highly recommend it. The program is definitely expensive, but so much cheaper than culinry school, and I think its worth every penny! I will for sure take the next level but unfortunately have a scheduling conflict so will have to wait a little bit. Clemence is such an amazing teacher! I dont want to switch careers.. yet.. (I also work in entertainment), this just something I have a passion for. Good Luck!
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