Choux au Craquelin with Coffee and Dulce de Leche

CHOUX AU CRAQUELIN

CRAQUELIN

• Cream together the butter and sugar until well incorporated together. Add the flour and mix it together with the butter and sugar until it turns into a crumbled structure.
• Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment paper on top and roll it out until it’s about 2-3 mm thick.
• Place it in the freezer for 30-40 min.

CHOUX PASTRY

• Preheat the oven to 180ºC conventional oven. Prepare a baking tray lined with parchment paper or a performative mat (Airmat).
• Bring water, milk, butter, salt, and sugar to a boil over medium heat. Give it a stir once in a while to make sure that the butter, sugar, and salt have dissolved before the milk and water starts to boil. Once boiling remove from heat and add the flour. Using a heat-proof spatula quickly stir it in. Once all the flour has been incorporated, and there are no flour lumps, put it back on medium heat and stir constantly for 2 min. When it’s done, the dough will collect itself and form a ball/balls and there is a film of dough at the bottom of the pan if you use a stainless steel pan.
• Transfer it to a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or use a hand mixer. At low speed, whisk for 2 minutes so the dough can cool down a bit. Whisk in the meantime the eggs together. Once the dough has cooled down a bit, slowly pour in the eggs along the side of the bowl, about ⅓ of the egg mixture at a time, until it’s all well incorporated. With the last ⅓ of the egg mixture, add it a little bit at a time. Depending on the dough you might not need all the 60g of eggs. I sometimes have a little bit left, what is important is to look for the right consistency. It needs to be sticky, smooth, and glossy and hold its shape. If it’s too runny it won’t hold its shape.
• Transfer the pastry dough to a piping bag with a round tip that is about 1 cm, I like to use the Wilton 1A tip.
• Before you start piping, take the craquelin out of the freezer and let it sit on the countertop while you pipe the choux pastry. Letting it sit for a few minutes makes sure it’s doesn’t crack when cutting out the circles.
• Hold the piping bag at a 90’ angle and pipe the choux pastry, on the prepared baking trays, until it’s 5 cm in diameter.
• With a 6 cm, in diameter, cookie cutter, cut out 6 craquelin circles so they’re slightly bigger than the choux pastry and place them on the pastry.
• Bake for 30-35 min. Keep the oven door closed so they don't deflate. When it hits the 28 min mark, they should be about a medium golden brown color. Open the oven door and only slightly pull the tray out, and with a sharp toothpick or cake tester, pick a hole in the Choux to let out any extra stream there might be inside them. Be as quick as possible with this. Put them back in and bake them for 2-10 min. Mine took 32 mins to become a perfect crisp golden color, but the time very much depends on one’s oven. They should be firm and crispy. If they feel soft let them bake for a few minutes more.
• Once done, place them on the top of the stove so they cool off around the heat of the oven. This will make it safer for them not to deflate as the shock of the colder air won’t be as intense.
• After they have cooled down for about 5-10 min, transfer them to a cooling rack to cool down completely.

CHOCOLATE DECORATIONS (OPTIONAL)

• Temper the dark chocolate and pour it on a piece of cake plastic or parchment paper. Even it out with an offset spatula until a nice thin layer. Let it set on the table. Once the chocolate has almost set gently, use a 6 cm cookie cutter to make 6 circles in the chocolate. Let it completely set. Once set break the circle out and set it aside for later.

SALTED DULCE DE LECHE

• Mix together the dulce de leche and salt and pour it into a small piping bag. Set it aside while making the coffee creme.

COFFEE CREME

• When you are ready to serve. Whisk all the ingredients together until the whipped cream creates stiff peaks.
• Transfer the cream to a piping bag with a large round piping tip, e.g. I used an 18mm piping tip.

ASSEMBLING

• Once you’re ready to serve cut the very top of the Choux buns horizontally off. You just want a small hole so you can fill the Choux buns.
• Pipe the coffee cream into the choux up until the edge. Then pipe the Dulce de Leche in the in middle of the coffee creme. Place a chocolate circle on top and pipe a dollop of the coffee cream on top.
• Run a teaspoon under hot water and make an indent in the cream. Rinse and dry of the teaspoon between each indent in the cream. Fill each indent with the salted Dulce de Leche.