Pate a Choux Three Ways
When I was in cooking school I have the most vivid memory of my chef instructor telling me how when she was 8 she learned how to make choux pastry and would often make herself, as an eight year old!!, a plate of cream puffs. I love that image.
If you aren't familiar pate a choux is a french pastry made of eggs, flour, water and butter and is extremely versatile - it can make everything from cream puffs, to churros, to gougeres. The hardest part of the recipe is incorporating the eggs into the dough because you have to stir and stir by hand like a crazy person. Or at least we did in cooking school. I think the thought was that if my chef instructor had to do them by hand when she was a kid, that meant we had to do them by hand - and boy did we get some blisters stirring in those eggs.
Thankfully you don't have to make choux pastry by hand. With the help of a Thermomix, I am showing you not only how to create the basic pate a choux recipe but also three different recipes (profiteroles, churros and eclairs) you can make with them. No blisters required!
For the pate a choux dough:
- 5.5 oz. (¾ cup) water
- 3 oz. (6 Tbs.) butter
- 2 tsp. sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 4.5 oz (¾ cup plus 2 Tbs.) flour
- 3 eggs
Thermomix Method:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the water, butter, salt and sugar into a mixing bowl and bring to a boil. Set 5 min/212°F/speed 1. Add flour and mix 20 sec/speed 4. Remove mixing bowl and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
Place the mixing bowl back into position and mix speed 5, adding the eggs in 1 at a time. Once the eggs are in the mixing bowl, continue to mix for 30 seconds.
Transfer to a pastry bag.
Conventional Method:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the water, butter, salt and sugar into a into a saute pan and bring to a boil. Add flour and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together and the dough forms a film on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
Add the eggs in 1 at a time stirring until completely combined.
Transfer to a pastry bag.
For the profiteroles:
- 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
- 2 Tbs. heavy cream
- 1 pint vanilla ice cream
- 2 Tbs. blanched almonds, lightly toasted and crushed (optional)
Thermomix Method:
Pipe the dough into balls, about 3” wide. If the dough has a pointy tip from the piping bag, dip a finger in water, and gently form the dough ball into more of an even consistency. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Using a serrated knife, cut pastry in half.
When ready to serve, make the chocolate sauce, by adding chocolate and cream to the mixer. Set 3 min/120F/speed 1.
Assemble the profiteroles by placing a scoop of ice cream in between the pastry halves, drizzle with chocolate sauce and sprinkle with almonds. Serve immediately.
Conventional Method:
Pipe the dough into balls, about 3” wide. If the dough has a pointy tip from the piping bag, dip a finger in water, and gently form the dough ball into more of an even consistency. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Using a serrated knife, cut pastry in half.
When ready to serve, make the chocolate sauce, by adding chocolate and cream to a double boiler. Stir until smooth.
Assemble the profiteroles by placing a scoop of ice cream in between the pastry halves, drizzle with chocolate sauce and sprinkle with almonds. Serve immediately.
For the churros:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 Tbs. cinnamon
- vegetable or canola oil for frying
- 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
- 4 oz. heavy cream
Thermomix Method
Fit the piping bag with a large closed star tip and fill with pate a choux.
In a shallow wide bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
Make the chocolate sauce, by adding chocolate and cream to the Thermomix mixer. Set 3 min/120F/speed 1.
Add the oil to a large Dutch oven so it fills it about ½ way. Heat over medium high heat until a thermometer reaches 350°F.
Carefully pipe about 3” of the choux dough into the oil cutting the dough to remove it from the pastry tip. Fry the churros for about 4 to 6 minutes, turning halfway through so all sides of the churros are golden brown. Remove and place churro on a baking sheet fitted with a rack. Let cool slightly then toss the churros in the cinnamon and sugar mixture and serve with warm chocolate.
Conventional Method
Fit the piping bag with a large closed star tip and fill with pate a choux.
In a shallow wide bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
Make the chocolate sauce, by adding chocolate and cream to a double boiler. Stir until smooth and keep warm.
Add the oil to a large Dutch oven so it fills it about ½ way. Heat over medium high heat until a thermometer reaches 350°F.
Carefully pipe about 3” of the choux dough into the oil cutting the dough to remove it from the pastry tip. Fry the churros for about 4 to 6 minutes, turning halfway through so all sides of the churros are golden brown. Remove and place churro on a baking sheet fitted with a rack. Let cool slightly then toss the churros in the cinnamon and sugar mixture and serve with warm chocolate.
For the eclairs:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3 Tbs. all purpose flour
- 2 Tsp. vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 Tbs. butter
- 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
- 2 oz. heavy cream
Tip: When making the eclairs, consider making the pastry cream the day before making the choux pastry and store in the refrigerator overnight to cool. This will make assembly faster. Also consider folding in whipped cream into the pastry to cream to lighten it.
Thermomix Method:
To make the pastry cream, add the sugar, eggs, egg yolk, flour, vanilla, and salt to the mixing bowl. Set 20 sec/speed 6. Scrape down sides of bowl.
Add the milk and set the mixer and set 10 mins/200°F/speed 3.
Pour the pastry cream into a medium sized bowl and fold in the butter. Let pastry cream cool at room temperature for about 20 minutes then cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap onto the top of the cream and refrigerate until cool.
Make the pate a choux dough and fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1-inch round tip. Pipe twelve 5-inch-long logs onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and let cool completely.
Assemble the eclairs by filling a piping bag that is fitted with a ½” pastry tip. Gently insert the pastry tip into the eclair and slowly fill it.
When all of the eclairs are filled, make the chocolate sauce, by adding chocolate and cream to the Thermomix mixer. Set 3 min/120F/speed 1.
Dip the top of the eclair into the warm chocolate and allow chocolate to cool.
Makes about 12 eclairs.
Thermomix Method:
To make the pastry cream, add the sugar, eggs, egg yolk, flour, vanilla, and salt to a medium sized bowl.
In a medium sized saute pan, warm milk. Slowly whisk milk into the sugar and egg mixture. Whisk to combine well. Add the mixture back into the saute pan and cook over medium heat until pastry cream is thick and coats the back of a spoon.
Pour the pastry cream into a medium sized bowl and fold in the butter. Let pastry cream cool at room temperature for about 20 minutes then cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap onto the top of the cream and refrigerate until cool.
Make the pate a choux dough and fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1-inch round tip. Pipe twelve 5-inch-long logs onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and let cool completely.
Assemble the eclairs by filling a piping bag that is fitted with a ½” pastry tip. Gently insert the pastry tip into the eclair and slowly fill it.
When ready to serve, make the chocolate sauce, by adding chocolate and cream to a double boiler. Stir until smooth.
Dip the top of the eclair into the warm chocolate and allow chocolate to cool.
Makes about 9 eclairs.
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