Choux Buns With Coffee And Drambuie Mousse Recipes

CHOUX BUNS WITH COFFEE AND DRAMBUIE MOUSSE

Steps:

• Choux Buns 1. Combine milk, butter, salt & sugar in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Bring to a boil, then remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the flour all at once w/ a wooden spoon until smooth. 2. Return pan to medium heat about 1 minute, stirring constantly, to dry out the paste. Tip it into a bowl. 3. Add the eggs 1 by 1, beating w/ the wooden spoon until each egg is fully beaten in. Once they are all incorporated into the mixture, it should be smooth and shiny, & thick enough to pipe. The choux paste is now ready to use. (If you are not using it immediately, brush the surface with egg wash to prevent a crust forming.) 4. Pipe small mounds , about 2 teaspoons each, onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in staggered rows, using a pastry bag fitted with a half-inch round tip. 5. Brush the buns with egg wash. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until dry and crisp, but soft inside. Cool on a wire rack. Coffee Mousse and Assembly 1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Whip the cream in a chilled bowl with the sugar to stiff peaks and fold into the chilled crème pâtissière. Dissolve the coffee in the Drambuie and fold into the mixture. 2. Make a small opening in the side of each bun with the tip of a knife or skewer. Using a pastry bag fitted with a plain eighth-inch tip, pipe a generous amount of coffee mousse into each bun. 3. To serve, dust half the filled buns with a little powdered sugar and the rest with cocoa. Arrange on individual plates or a platter. Each of 46 buns: 74 calories; 2 grams protein; 7 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 4 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 59 mg. cholesterol; 40 mg. sodium.

CREAM PUFF "CRACK BUNS" (CHOUX AU CRAQUELIN)

Steps:

• Mix butter, brown sugar, flour, and salt together in a large bowl using a spatula. Place dough between two sheets of waxed paper or inside a zip-top bag. Press or roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Trim off the edges slightly to get a rectangular shape, if desired. Freeze crust until ready to use.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat.
• Combine water, butter, and salt in a saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add flour; stir with a wooden spoon until mixture comes together into a smooth dough and pulls away cleanly from the bottom of the pan. Transfer to a bowl and spread out with a whisk to speed up cooling. Cool until warm, about 10 minutes.
• Whisk eggs, one at a time, into the pastry, mixing well after each addition. Finish mixing with a spatula. Scoop pastry into a pastry bag and pipe into 6 to 8 buns on the baking sheet. Smooth out tops with a wet finger.
• Use a cookie cutter to cut crust into circles about the diameter of the buns. Lightly push crusts onto the buns, just enough to secure them.
• Place buns in the preheated oven. Immediately reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake until browned and fully puffed, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer buns onto a cooling rack and place rack back on the baking sheet. Place in the turned-off oven, leave door partially open, and let cool completely, at least 20 minutes.
• Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 15-second intervals, stirring after each interval, 1 to 3 minutes.
• Spread a few teaspoons of melted chocolate onto the bottom of each bun. Gently press each chocolate base back on the baking sheet to spread it evenly. Let chocolate harden, about 1 hour.