French Croquembouche

To prepare the puffs, position 1 rack in the upper third and 1 rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F (200°C).

Use a 1 1/2-inch (4-cm) biscuit or cookie cutter to trace about 40 total rounds on 2 pieces of parchment paper, spacing them at least 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Turn the parchment over and place on 2 baking sheets. The rounds will serve as a guide when you pipe the choux batter, ensuring equal-size puffs.

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the water, butter, sugar and salt. Bring to a vigorous simmer and cook until the butter has completely melted, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture is cohesive and no streaks of flour remain.

Return the pan to medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the dough comes together in one mass and the internal temperature registers 175°F (80°C) on an instant-read thermometer. The inside of the pan should be coated with a thin, starchy layer and the dough should easily slide around.

Transfer the dough to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater and beat on medium speed until the internal temperature of the dough registers 145° to 150°F (63° to 65°C). With the mixer running on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time and beat until completely combined. The batter should be smooth and cohesive.

Transfer the choux batter to a pastry bag and snip off the tip. Using the rounds drawn on the parchment paper as guides, pipe a total of 40 mounds, each about 1 Tbs. If needed, smooth out the tops with your finger dipped in a little water; you don’t want the mounds to have a peak.

Bake until the dough is puffed up and golden, about 25 minutes, switching the baking sheets between the racks halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and turn off the oven.

Working quickly while the puffs are still hot, use the tip of a paring knife to poke a small hole in the bottom of each one. Pierce the puff, then twist the knife carefully to create the hole and return it to the baking sheet. This will help the puffs dry out and provide a hole for filling them with the pastry cream. Place the baking sheets with the puffs in the turned-off (but still warm) oven with the door partially open for 30 minutes so the puffs will dry out completely.

Meanwhile, prepare the pastry cream: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, vanilla bean pod and seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom. Bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat, cover and let steep for 30 minutes.

Fill a large bowl with water and ice cubes to make an ice bath.

In a large heat-safe bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Vigorously whisk in the egg yolks until the mixture is smooth, fluffy and pale yellow, about 1 minute. Slowly strain about half the milk mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over the bowl with the egg mixture, then whisk to combine. Repeat with the remaining milk mixture. Pour the mixture back into the pan and set over medium heat.

Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. When large bubbles begin to form, whisk constantly for 1 minute to ensure the pastry cream is cohesive. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until combined.

Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Set the bowl in the ice bath and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

In the clean bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the heavy cream on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and beat until medium to stiff peaks form, about 30 seconds more. Use a whisk to smooth out the custard, then gently fold in the whipped cream until cohesive.

Transfer the pastry cream to a pastry bag fitted with a straight tip about the size of the opening of the hole poked into the bottom of the puffs. Fill the puffs with pastry cream, then return them, with the filled (flat) side down, to the baking sheets.

To prepare the caramel, in a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the sugar and water. Cook, whisking occasionally, until the mixture turns into a syrup and comes to a boil, about 5 minutes. Simmer the syrup, swirling the pan every so often, until it turns a honey color and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Then continue to cook until the caramel is amber colored, about 1 minute more. Remove from the heat.

Using tongs or your hands (but be careful of burning), dip the top of each puff into the caramel, letting the excess drip off. Return the puffs, caramel side up, to the baking sheets. If the caramel starts to thicken, place the pan over low heat to loosen the caramel.

To assemble, if you have a 6-inch (15-cm) round cardboard cake board, use it as the base and width guide. If not, trace a circle of that size on a piece of parchment paper, then cut out the parchment. Place the round on a cake stand or plate to use as a guide. Arrange 5 or 6 of the largest puffs around the cake board or parchment to create a circle (this will help you plan the base). Working with one of these puffs at a time, dip one side of the puff into the caramel, then press the dipped side on the perimeter of the circle, caramel side out and angled toward the center just a bit. Hold it in place until the caramel hardens and the puff stands on its own, about 10 seconds. Repeat with the remaining puffs to form the first layer of the croquembouche.

To build the second layer, repeat the dipping process; this time, place the puff in between 2 of the base layer puffs, still with the caramel side out and angled slightly inward. As you build, you will reduce the number of puffs in each layer. Continue the process until you have 8 layers of puffs, with each layer angling toward the center to create the croquembouche’s cone shape.

At this point, the caramel will probably be very thick. Return the pan to low heat to thin out the caramel to a honey consistency. Dip the tines of a fork or the tip of a whisk into the caramel. When you lift the fork, thin threads of sugar should fall back into the pan. Move the fork in a circular motion around the croquembouche to create threads of sugar around the structure. Serve within 1 to 2 hours (the puffs will begin to get soggy after this time). Serves 10.

Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen