Saturday, August 22, 2020

Choux pastry: Comparison recipes

 I have shortlisted several bloggers with videos and who do the entire range of pastries associated with choux pastry using slightly different methods. I've found out that the difference between profiteroles, cream puffs, and eclairs is dependent on the shape, topping, and filling. 

1. Bigger Bolder Baking cream puffs (Christmas profiterole recipe) (Easy choux pastry)

- Starts with whisk to whisk the flour in, then changes to spoon. Leaves it on the stove while beating the flour in. 

- Beats up the egg. Doesn't use KitchenAid when incorporating batter and egg.

- Uses wettened finger to smooth down the tips after piping the cream puffs

- Sprinkles water on the baking parchment around the cream puffs (to create the steam to give them a poof)

- Garnish with chocolate ganache and strawberries, filled with fresh cream, dusted with sugar

- Bake at 200 deg C for 25-30mins or at 220deg C for 20 mins then 10 mins with heat turned off.

- Store in fridge with filling, or freeze.

2. Sally's Baking Addiction cream puffs

- Eclairs are filled with custard (Americans call it pastry cream) and topped with ganache, cream puffs are filled with whipped cream and dusted with icing sugar, profiteroles are filled with ice cream and topped with ganache

- Easiest recipe. Uses 1 cup cream for ganache and 1 cup cream for cream filling

- Uses KitchenAid. Doesn't pour in all the beaten egg (only till the point it's combined) but leaves some for egg wash.

- Also paints the parchment with water

- Bake at 204 deg C for 20 mins, reduce to 177 deg C for 10-15 mins until golden brown

- Store unfilled or freeze.

- For the ganache, advises against using buttons. Use equal portions of double cream and choc by weight. Chop the choc finely, use a stove to heat up the cream just to simmering (never boiling), and pour onto the choc. Use only a glass or metal bowl (never plastic), and let it sit for 5 minutes before stirring. Stir with a metal spoon or silicon spatula (never a whisk or worst, wooden spoon) from the centre working outwards. Leave to cool for 15 minutes before using. Store unused at room temp for up to a day as the fridge will harden it into a spoonable fudge.

3. Natasha's Kitchen cream puffs (Eclairs wh includes pastry cream recipe)

- Also mentions the differences between eclairs with ganache, profiteroles, and cream puffs.

- Takes milk mixture off the stove to add in the flour and then incorporates it off the stove before putting it back on the stove to cook for a few minutes (2 to 3 minutes) until a film forms at the bottom.

- Uses Kitchenaid hand beater to beat for a while to cool it down, then adds whole eggs.

- Bake at 218 deg C for 10 mins, reduce to 162 deg C for 20 to 22 mins until golden brown.

- Store unfilled or freeze but can also store and freeze them with filling following her tips.

- For the ganache, uses chocolate buttons

Choux pastry tested here.

4. Pretty Simple Sweet - Ganache tips

- Play around with ratios to get it as a glaze or spreadable consistency or hard like truffle. Only cream and chocolate. Other additions such as butter and corn syrup for added creaminess or shine.

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