Crocumbouche - Holiday Cakes

This eye-catching pastry is a traditional wedding cake in France. Here cream filled puffs are held together with caramel. Literal translation of the desserts name is

Category:
Holiday Cakes

Serving Size:
15+ Servings

Difficulty Level:
Advanced

Photo Gallery:
No

Storage Factor:
+0 Day

| Crocumbouche |

Ingredients Required: Crocumbouche

	Ingredient	Quantity
1.	Small Puff Shells	60-70
2.	Kirsch Pastry Cream	18 ounces
3.	Flat Tart Shell	1
4.	Sugar	8 ounces
5.	Vinegar	3 teaspoons
6.	Water	3 Tablespoons

Preparation Instructions: Crocumbouche

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Process	Instructions
1. PreBake	Roll out sugar dough to 1/4" - 3/8" thick. Cut a flat disk out of it to create a base to build the Crocumbouche on. Bake fully. Make a batch of Pate au Choux, bag it out into small puffs, bake fully.
2. Fill	Using a pastry bag with a pastry filling tip, inject each puff through its bottom with the flavored pastry cream
3. Prepare	Boil - sugar, water and vinegar to form a golden amber caramel. Be careful the caramel is very hot and will BURN you. Dip the top of all the puffs. Set the puffs back onto a pan to cool.
4. Cover	Cover your mold completely with aluminum foil. Spray very lightly with a spray lubricant.
5. Reheat	Reheat the caramel as needed to continue. Dip the bottom of your first puff in the caramel and stick the puff onto the mold to start making the lowest level of puffs. From now on dip the side of the puffs and glue them from side to side around the mold. Complete the ring by finding the right shaped puff to fill the last hole (dip this last puff on both sides, to complete the circle). Repeat the above to build the second, third, forth and so on until you finally glue one puff on the very top center
6. Remove	Pick up the mold and open the foil so that you can remove the mold from the inside of Crocumbouche. Gently hold the Crocumbouche on its side as you work the foil loose and twist it out from inside the puffs. Pour a stream of caramel onto the baked flat tart shell (near the edge) Set the hollow Crocumbuche down onto the sticky caramel to attach it to the disc of sugar dough.
Additional Comments:	As the caramel cools in the saucepan it will get to a temperature at which it strings into fine "Angel Hair". Dip the tines of a fork into the caramel, lift out of the saucepan and hold it there until it strings out really evenly. Now in a swirling motion go around and around the Crocumbouche depositing the fine angle hair sugar onto the sides of the towering pastry. Continue spinning the angel hair sugar to obtain the desired results. Serve soon after, or store chilled until needed.