Chocolate Croquembouches Recipe Epicuriouscom

CHOCOLATE CROQUEMBOUCHES

Steps:

• For pastry cream:
• Whisk sugar and flour in heavy medium saucepan to blend. Gradually whisk in milk, then egg yolks. Whisking constantly, cook over medium heat until cream thickens and boils, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Transfer to medium bowl. Press plastic wrap onto surface. Chill pastry cream until cold and firm, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.
• For cream puffs:
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine first 5 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil, whisking until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Remove from heat. Add flour and cocoa all at once; whisk until smooth and blended (dough will form ball). Stir over low heat until dough leaves film on pan bottom, about 2 minutes. Transfer dough to large bowl; cool to lukewarm, about 8 minutes. Using electric mixer, beat in eggs 1 at a time.
• Drop batter by teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets in at least 64 scant 1-inch mounds. Using moistened fingertips, smooth any pointed tips on mounds. Bake puffs 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F. Continue to bake until puffs are firm and beginning to crack and dry on top, about 23 minutes longer. Transfer puffs to rack. Using small knife or chopstick, poke hole in side of each puff near bottom to allow steam to escape. Cool puffs completely.
• Spoon pastry cream into pastry bag fitted with 1/4-inch plain round tip. Pipe into each puff through hole in side.
• For glaze:
• Place 10 ounces chocolate in small microwave-safe dish. Microwave on high for 15-second intervals until beginning to melt; stir glaze until completely melted and smooth.
• Dip bottom of 4 filled cream puffs into glaze. Arrange puffs, spaced about 1/4 inch apart, in square on plate. Dip bottom of 3 more puffs into glaze. Arrange in triangle atop first 4 puffs, pressing slightly so glaze holds puffs in place. Dip bottom of 1 more puff into glaze; place on top. Drizzle mound of puffs with some of glaze. Repeat with remaining cream puffs, forming 8 desserts. Refrigerate until glaze sets and holds puffs together, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

CHOCOLATE PRALINE CROQUEMBOUCHE

Steps:

• Make cream puffs:
• Preheat oven to 425°F. and butter and flour 2 baking sheets.
• Spoon pâte à chou into a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip and pipe about 55 mounds onto baking sheets, each about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, leaving 1 1/2 inches between mounds. With a finger dipped in water gently smooth pointed tip of each mound to round puffs. Bake puffs in upper third of oven 10 minutes, switching position of sheets in oven halfway through baking if necessary. Reduce temperature to 400°F. and bake puffs 20 minutes more, or until puffed and golden. Let puffs stand in turned-off oven 30 minutes. Transfer puffs to racks to cool. With a skewer poke a 1/4-inch hole in bottom of each puff. Puffs may be made 2 days ahead and kept in an airtight container. Recrisp puffs in 400°F. oven 5 minutes and cool before filling.
• Make filling:
• In bowl of a standing electric mixer beat pastry cream until just smooth and soft enough to fold in heavy cream (do not overbeat). In a chilled bowl with cleaned beaters beat heavy cream until it holds soft peaks and fold in praline powder. Fold whipped cream mixture into pastry cream. Chill filling, covered, about 1 hour, or until cold.
• Fill cream puffs:
• Transfer filling to a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain top and barely fill each puff (do not overfill), putting filled puffs in a shallow baking pan.
• Make caramel:
• In a heavy saucepan stir together sugar and water and bring to a boil over moderately low heat, stirring and washing down sides of pan with a brush dipped in cold water to dissolve any sugar crystals until sugar is dissolved. Boil syrup over moderately high heat, without stirring, until it begins to turn pale caramel. Still without stirring, gently swirl syrup in pan (so that it colors evenly) until it begins to turn golden caramel and remove from heat. Caramel will continue to color slightly off heat and will thicken as it cools. As caramel begins to reach thickness of corn syrup, return pan to a burner at lowest possible heat, using a flame-tamer if necessary, and keep warm (do not simmer).
• Assemble croquembouche:
• Line a tray with wax paper. Working quickly with 1 cream puff at a time, impale bottom of each puff on tip of a small serrated knife and carefully dip top in caramel, leaving bottom 1/3 inch uncoated (to facilitate handling) and letting excess drip off. (Be extremely careful when working with hot caramel.) Set puff, coated side up, on prepared tray. When all puffs are coated, center 3, touching to form a triangle, on a cake-decorating turntable. Form a ring of 9 puffs around triangle and, working with 1 of the 9 puffs at a time, carefully dip 1 edge into caramel, letting excess drip off, and affix puffs to one another in a tight ring around first 3 puffs. Dip bottom of a puff in caramel and center it over middle of first 3 puffs. Working with 1 puff at a time, carefully dip 1 edge of each puff into caramel, letting excess drip off, and build a second, slightly smaller ring on top of the first using 8 puffs (if necessary adding an additional puff in center to stabilize ring), making sure each puff is glued with caramel to the one before it.
• Build on top of first 2 rows 4 more rings of 5 puffs each in same manner, always building from inside out with an additional puff in center as support.
• For top of croquembouche build 1 layer of 3 puffs and top with 1 puff. Let caramel harden 5 minutes and loosen croquembouche from turntable with a spatula. Transfer croquembouche with hands to a platter.
• Slip 5-inch-wide bands of wax paper under edges of croquembouche to protect from caramel drips. Remove caramel from heat and cool to thickness of molasses, 2 to 3 minutes. Dip tip of a small spoon in caramel and drizzle caramel decoratively over croquembouche. (Alternately, all puffs may be dipped in initial caramel and put in a shallow serving bowl without being molded into a cone shape.) Let caramel harden and remove wax paper. croquembouche is best served as soon as possible but may be made up to 12 hours ahead and chilled but not covered.
• To serve croquembouche, lightly shatter caramel cage with back of a knife and dismantle, 1 puff at a time.

CROQUEMBOUCHE

Steps:

• For the puffs: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Put the butter, sugar, salt and 1 1/2 cups water in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, 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 1 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. Smooth the dough peaks with a wet finger.
• Bake until puffed, 15 to 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake until golden, about 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.
• For the white chocolate: While the puffs are baking and cooling, bring a small saucepan of water to a simmer. Combine the white chocolate with the heavy cream in a small metal bowl and set it on top of the saucepan without touching the water. Heat, stirring, until the white chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool.
• For the whipped cream filling: Using a stand mixer or hand mixer and a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream with the confectioners' sugar until soft peaks form. Whisk in the cooled white chocolate mixture.
• To assemble: Add the whipped cream filling to a pastry bag fitted with a medium tip. Fill each puff with a few tablespoons of the mixture through the hole already punched into it. Set aside.
• For the caramel: Mix the granulated 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, about 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 (if the caramel hardens, microwave until soft, 45 seconds). Arrange the puffs around the circle on the parchment. 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 2 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.

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.

TRIPLE PASTRY CREAM CROQUEMBOUCHE

Steps:

• For the puffs: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• In a large saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring 2 cups water, the butter, sugar and salt to a rolling boil, then immediately remove the pan from the heat. Stirring with a wooden spoon, add the flour all at once and stir hard until all the flour is incorporated, 30 to 60 seconds. Return the pan to the heat and cook, stirring, to cook off some of the moisture, 30 seconds.
• Scrape the mixture into a bowl. Using a hand mixer set on low to medium speed, add 8 of the eggs, one at a time, 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.
• Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip. Pipe the dough in big dollops onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Whisk the remaining 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the surface of the dough with the egg wash to push down any points. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees F, and bake until puffed up and light golden brown, about 20 minutes more. The puffs should have a crust, but also still be soft. Avoid opening the oven door while the puffs bake. Cool the puffs on the baking sheet.
• For the fillings: In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, cook the milk until it just begins to bubble along the edges. In a bowl, whisk the sugar and yolks until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot milk until incorporated, being careful to avoid scrambling the eggs. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture, reserving the empty saucepan for a later use.
• Pour the pastry cream through a fine mesh strainer back into the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens and comes to a slow boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla extract. Remove one-third of the pastry cream to a bowl. Then add the chocolate into the larger batch of pastry cream and stir until the chocolate is completely incorporated. Divide the chocolate cream into two bowls, adding the mint to one batch and the orange to the other. Add the melted caramel and cinnamon to the plain pastry cream, stirring to combine. Cover all three creams with plastic wrap, lightly pressing the plastic against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill for at least 2 hours or until ready to serve.
• Use a plain pastry tip to poke a hole in the bottom of each puff. Place each of the pastry creams into a piping bag fitted with a small tip. Separate the puffs into three equal piles and fill each pile with one of the pastry creams.
• For the caramel: Place the sugar, corn syrup and 2/3 cup water in a saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer. Bring to a boil and cook until the mixture reaches a deep amber color, the thermometer will read about 350 degrees F. Remove from the heat. Then quickly but carefully, dip the bottom and sides of the puffs in the caramel to start building the tower. Create a large circle of puffs as the base, then a second, slightly smaller circle on top of the first to draw the circle in and create a tower of cream puffs. Repeat for the remaining puffs. Check it from all sides occasionally to make sure it's straight. When the tower is finished, drizzle the remaining caramel all over and then decorate as desired.

CANDY CANE CROQUEMBOUCHE

Steps:

• Make the pastry puffs: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Bring 1 cup water, the butter, granulated sugar and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from the heat and sift the flour directly into the pan; stir with a wooden spoon until a paste forms. Return to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste is shiny and pulls away from the side of the pan, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed to cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Beat in 1 egg until incorporated, then beat in 1 more egg. Whisk the third egg in a small bowl, then beat into the dough, 1 tablespoon at a time, until just smooth and tight. (You may not need all of the third egg.)
• Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip. Pipe 1 1/4-inch rounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart; you should have about 50 puffs. (Alternatively, drop the dough in small mounds onto the baking sheets with a spoon.) Smooth the dough peaks with a dampened finger, then transfer to the oven and bake until puffed, 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking until golden, 5 more minutes. Turn off the oven but leave the puffs inside to dry out, 5 to 7 more minutes. Remove from the oven and pierce a small hole in each puff with a paring knife to let steam escape; transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Make the filling: Put the white chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan, then pour it over the chocolate. Gently whisk until smooth and cool, about 7 minutes; whisk in the peppermint extract. Stir in the mascarpone until combined. Cover and refrigerate until thick enough to pipe, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip.
• Insert the tip of the pastry bag into the hole in each puff and pipe in the filling. Transfer the filled puffs to a baking sheet; refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
• Make the icing: Whisk the confectioners' sugar and milk in a large bowl until smooth. Assemble the croquembouche: Dip the bottom of a puff into the icing, letting the excess drip off. Transfer the puff to a platter, icing-side down. Repeat with more puffs, arranging them side-by-side in a 7-inch circle. Fill in the circle with more puffs to stabilize the base of the tower. Continue building a conical tower of puffs, using the icing to hold them in place. (If the icing becomes too thick, whisk in more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.)
• Dust the croquembouche with confectioners' sugar and sprinkle with crushed candy canes; chill until set, about 15 minutes.

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CROQUEMBOUCHE

Steps:

• Bring cream and butter to boil in heavy large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium; stir until butter melts. Add chocolate; whisk until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in sour cream, liqueur and orange peel. Pour into 9x13-inch baking dish. Refrigerate mixture until firm enough to hold shape, about 1 hour.
• Line 4 large cookie sheets with foil; sift powdered sugar over 2 sheets and cocoa powder over 2 sheets. Using 3/4-ounce ice cream scoop (1 1/2 tablespoons), scoop truffle mixture, mounding slightly, and release onto sugar-dusted sheet. Repeat to form total of 28 large truffles on sugar-dusted sheets and 28 on cocoa-dusted sheets. Using 1/4-ounce ice cream scoop (1 1/2 teaspoons), scoop truffle mixture and release onto sugar-dusted sheet. Repeat to form total of 10 small truffles on sugar-dusted sheets and 10 on cocoa-dusted sheets. Freeze truffles 10 minutes.
• Roll each truffle on sugar-dusted sheets in sugar, then roll between palms of hands into smooth round and set onto clean cookie sheet. Roll each truffle on cocoa-dusted sheets in cocoa, then roll between palms of hands into smooth round and set onto same cookie sheets as sugar-dusted truffles. Freeze 1 hour.
• Dipping:
• Line 2 cookie sheets with foil. Melt white chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring until candy thermometer registers 115°F. Remove from over water. Submerge 1 large sugar-dusted truffle in white chocolate, tilting pan if necessary. Using long fork, lift truffle from chocolate. Tap fork gently against side of pan (if necessary) to remove excess chocolate. Using knife as aid, slide truffle off fork and onto clean foil-lined cookie sheet. Wipe fork clean. Repeat process with all remaining sugar-dusted truffles. Freeze for 15 minutes.
• Reheat remaining white chocolate to 115°F. over simmering water. Repeat dipping process to give truffles a double coating of white chocolate.
• Melt bittersweet chocolate in top of clean double boiler over simmering water, stirring until candy thermometer registers 115°F. Dip spoon into bittersweet chocolate and wave quickly white chocolate-coated truffles, creating zigzag lines. Refrigerate truffles.
• Line 2 more cookie sheets with foil. Using dipping process described above, dip cocoa-dusted truffles into bittersweet chocolate, dipping each truffle only once. Immediately top each with candied violet. Refrigerate truffles 1 hour. (Can be prepared 3 weeks ahead. Cover and chill truffles and remaining melted bittersweet chocolate separately.)
• Assemble:
• Remelt remaining bittersweet chocolate. Brush melted bittersweet chocolate in 2-inch-wide strip down length of cone. Wrap waxed paper around cone, covering completely and pressing against chocolate to adhere. Place cone on platter. Holding toothpick at sharp angle, press 2/3 of toothpick into cone near base. Press 1 large truffle onto toothpick. Repeat with more toothpicks and remaining large truffles, alternating dark and white truffles and attaching in spiral design toward top of cone. Begin attaching small truffles 4 inches from top of cone and continue to cover completely. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.) Press rose leaves between truffles on cone, covering any spaces. Press toothpicks into roses and attach to leaves between truffles.

HOW TO MAKE A CROQUEMBOUCHE (CREAM PUFF TOWER) RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• In a pot, heat the milk and vanilla bean pod and seeds over medium heat, bringing it to a boil. Once it begins to boil, turn off the heat and let steep for 15 minutes.
• Using a hand mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Add the cornstarch and mix until fully incorporated.
• Remove the vanilla bean pod from the milk. Add ½ cup (120 ml) of the milk to the egg yolk mixture and mix until well combined. Add the remaining milk mixture and beat until fully incorporated.
• Over medium heat, whisk the mixture constantly until thickened, about 7-10 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and add the butter, whisking to combine.
• Strain the custard into a bowl to ensure a creamy custard (optional). Cover the custard with plastic wrap, making sure that the plastic touches the custard, and chill for at least 2 hour.
• Preheat oven to 425˚F (220˚C).
• In a large pot, bring the water, butter, salt, and sugar to a boil over high heat.
• Once the water begins to boil, remove the pot from the heat and immediately add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the liquid is absorbed and the mixture begins to form a ball.
• Return the pot to the heat and cook for another 30 seconds to remove excess moisture. Remove the pot from the heat.
• Working quickly, add the eggs, one at a time, stirring until fully incorporated. Continue stirring until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and is thick and glossy. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
• Using a piping bag with a standard round tip, fill the bag with the batter.
• Place 1-inch (2 cm) dollops on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, spaced at least 1-inch (2 cm) apart.
• Use a wet fingertip to gently press down any points on the puffs. Brush the egg wash over the the puffs.
• Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375˚F (190˚C), and bake for 15 minutes.
• Let puffs cool completely.
• Use the bottom of a wooden skewer to create an opening in the bottom of the cream puff shells, just big enough for a piping tip to insert.
• Fill a piping bag fitting with a small round tip with the custard. Gently fill the puff shells with the custard.
• Add the sugar, corn syrup, and water to a pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and put the lid on, cooking for 5 minutes without moving. Remove the lid and cook for an additional 7-10 minutes, until the caramel is a deep amber color and reaches 300˚F (150˚C).
• Remove the pan from the heat and add the heavy cream, stirring vigorously.
• Working quickly, dip the cream puffs into the caramel and arrange on a serving platter in a circular pattern.
• Continue to stack caramel-dipped cream puffs in a tower shape.
• Once your tower is completed, dip a fork into the caramel sauce and drizzle it around the tower.
• Enjoy!

CROQUEMBOUCHE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. To make the puffs: In a medium saucepan, melt butter in 1 1/2 cups water with salt and sugar. Remove pan from heat, and add flour. Return pan to heat and, using a wooden spoon, beat vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes. (A film should form on the bottom of the pan.) Cool slightly, and add 6 eggs, one at a time, beating vigorously.
• Make a glaze by beating the remaining egg with 1 teaspoon water, and set aside. Using a pastry bag fitted with a coupler and a 1/2-inch-wide plain tip, pipe out mounds that are 1 inch high and 3/4 inch in diameter on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with egg glaze, and smooth the tops. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on racks. (The puffs can be made ahead and frozen until ready to assemble.)
• Make the pastry cream: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg yolks, gradually adding sugar, until mixture is thick and pale yellow. Beat in flour. Scald milk, and add in dribbles to egg mixture, reserving 1/2 cup. Place mixture in a clean pot over high heat, and stir vigorously until mixture boils and thickens. If it seems too thick to pipe, add reserved milk. Remove from heat. Using a hand whisk, beat butter into egg mixture, one tablespoon at a time.
• In a double boiler or heatproof bowl set over simmering water, melt chocolate and espresso together until smooth. Add chocolate mixture to the pastry cream; let cool completely. Just before assembling croquembouche, fill a pastry tube fitted with a 1/4-inch-wide tip with pastry cream, insert tip into puffs, and pipe in cream to fill.
• To make the caramel: In a medium saucepan, combine 2/3 cup water, sugar, and corn syrup, and bring to a boil over high heat. Do not stir. Cover pan, and boil until steam dissolves any crystals. Uncover, and boil 5 more minutes, or until syrup is amber in color. Remove from heat. Dip the bottom of each puff into the caramel, and arrange puffs in a pyramid.
• To make a spun-sugar web to wrap around the croquembouche: Cut the looped ends of a wire whisk with wire cutters, or use 2 forks held side by side, and dip the ends into caramel. Wave the caramel back and forth over the croquembouche, allowing the strands to fall in long, thin threads around it. Wrap any stray strands up and around the croquembouche. Serve.

MARTHA'S CROQUEMBOUCHE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. To make the puffs, melt the butter in the water with salt and sugar over low heat. Remove from heat and beat in flour with a wooden spoon until completely mixed. Return to heat and stir vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes. Mixture will form a mass, and a film will form on bottom of pan. Remove from heat and, one by one, add eggs, beating vigorously after each addition.
• Using a pastry tube with 1/2-inch opening, form puffs on a buttered baking sheet. Glaze each puff with the beaten egg and water, using a pastry brush. Smooth the top of each puff. Put in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and pierce each puff with a sharp knife (This allows the steam to escape so that the interior of the puff is not soggy). Return to the oven for 10 minutes more. Cool puffs on a rack. While cooling, prepare pastry cream.
• To make the cream, beat the egg yolks, gradually adding the sugar, until mixture is thick and pale yellow. Beat in the flour. Add the hot milk in dribbles, reserving 1/2 cup for thinning. Return to pot in which milk was scalded, and stir mixture over high heat until it comes to a boil. It will become lumpy first and then will smooth out with vigorous stirring. Be careful not to scorch the bottom of the pot. The cream should be thick, but add milk if too thick to pipe.
• Add the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Flavor with vanilla, cognac, and salt. Cool completely. Inject the pastry cream into the puffs with a 1/4-inch pastry tip.
• To make the nougat, melt the sugar with the lemon juice in a heavy pot. Do not stir. Boil together until a thick amber syrup is formed. Stir in the almonds and spread the mixture on an oiled marble slab while warm. Cut with a sharp knife into a round for the base, and into small triangles for decoration, Keep nougat warm in a 250 degree oven. (It cannot be cut or shaped if it hardens.)
• To make the caramel, bring the ingredients to a boil over high heat. Do not stir. Cover pan (allowing steam to dissolve any crystals that might form). Uncover pan and boil several more minutes, until syrup is amber. Reduce heat to keep syrup from hardening.
• Dip the filled cream puffs, one by one, into the caramel syrup and arrange on the nougat base, forming a cone resembling a pyramid. The caramel holds the cream puffs together.Note: Assemble the croquembouche the day of the party, as it cannot be refrigerated. However, the cream puffs, pastry, and nougat can be prepared in advance.

MARTHA'S FAMOUS CROQUEMBOUCHE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Make the puffs: Bring milk, water, butter, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat, and whisk in flour. Return to heat, and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from sides of pan, about 4 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed to cool slightly, about 1 minute. With machine running, add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip.
• Whisk together yolk and heavy cream. Pipe about one hundred 1-inch puffs (about the size of a quarter) onto each prepared sheet. Gently brush with egg wash. Bake until puffs rise and are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. (Puffs can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 day.)
• Transfer caramel cream to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip. Insert tip of pastry bag into base of each puff, and fill each. Return to sheets in a single layer as you work.
• Assemble the croquembouche: Dip top half of each filled puff into caramel (be careful not to burn your fingers), letting excess drip back into pan. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let stand until caramel is set.
• Carefully dip bottom half of 1 puff into caramel, letting excess drip into pan. Transfer puff, hot caramel side down, to a serving platter. Repeat with 9 more puffs, forming a connected ring as you work. Repeat with more puffs, layering rings to form a 6-layer pyramid, using 45 or 50 puffs total. (If the caramel begins to harden, reheat briefly over low heat.)
• Attach sugar cookies to sides and base of croquembouche, using royal icing or caramel as "glue."
• To make a second croquembouche, make another batch of caramel, and repeat with remaining filled puffs. (Alternatively, serve the remaining puffs on the side.) Serve immediately, or let stand at room temperature for up to 2 hours.