Croquembouche

Choux pastry proportions, per egg.

75ml water
30g butter  just over 1 ounce
35g flour:  approximately 1 1/4 ounce
1 egg

Lakeland recipe:  See also BBC Good Food.  Interesting discussion here, too.

No piping bag needed for the buns if they are carefully mounded onto the baking sheet using a teaspoon and finger!

FOR THE CHOUX BUNS
• 375ml water
• 150g butter, cubed
• 175g plain flour
• 5 large eggs, beaten
FOR THE CRÈME ANGLAISE FILLING
• 600ml full fat milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
• 6 large egg yolks
• 75g caster sugar
• 65g plain flour

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INSTRUCTIONS

For the Choux buns
1. Preheat the oven to 200 C / fan 180 C / Gas mark 4. Line 3 baking sheets with baking parchment. Pour the water into a large saucepan and add the butter. Cover the top of the saucepan with cling film and bring to the boil. Remove the cling film (take care to avoid the steam) and add all the flour quickly in one go.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and beat the mixture vigorously to a firm paste, stirring continuously. Transfer the mix to a bowl and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
3. Beat in the eggs a little at a time (either by hand or in a food mixer), stirring vigorously until the paste is smooth and glossy. Continue adding the the eggs until you have a smooth ribbon consistency.
4. Spoon the mixture into a large piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle about 5mm dia. Pipe around 75 rounds (25 per tray), each about the diameter of the top section of the anodised top-cone, onto the baking sheets. Leave enough space between each round to allow for spreading. Dip a finger in cold water and flatten any peaks.
5. Bake for 20 minutes until risen and golden, rotating the baking sheets half way through cooking. Remove from the oven and pierce the base of each bun with the tip of a knife or skewer to allow steam to escape.
6. Return to the oven and cook for a further 3 minutes to dry out. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on wire racks.
For the filling
(As an alternative, you can fill the buns with crème Chantilly).
7. Pour the milk into a pan with the vanilla bean paste. Bring the milk slowly to a simmer over a low heat. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and flour until pale and creamy.
8. Pour the warm milk over the egg mixture, stirring. Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook over a low heat for 4-5 minutes, whisking, until the mixture starts to thicken and the whisk leaves a trail in the custard. The mixture should be thick and the flour taste cooked out.
9. Remove from the heat and pass through a fine sieve into a bowl. Cover the surface with cling film to prevent a skin forming and leave to cool. Chill until ready to use. Spoon the chilled custard into a piping bag fitted with a long nozzle (like the nozzles used to pipe jam into doughnuts) and fill the choux buns through the steam holes.
10. The choux buns can be made in advance and frozen, or can be stored unfilled for up to 3 days in an airtight container. If the buns are soft after defrosting or storage, lay them on lined baking sheets and bake at 180 C / fan 160 C / mark 4 for 5 minutes until crisp.
To build the Croquembouche
11. To assemble the croquembouche, start by making the caramel which will act as the glue to hold the whole thing together. Use 300g of caster sugar and 225ml of water, (this will be more than enough, but you will find the temperature is easier to control than with a smaller amount). You will also need a jam thermometer.
12. Beware : Melted sugar is VERY hot and sticky - handle with care. Place sugar and water in a clean pan and dissolve by stirring gently on a low heat.
13. Once dissolved, raise the temperature to boiling
14. Whilst boiling do not stir. Keep the sides of the pan and the thermometer continuously washed down with a little water to re-dissolve any sugar crystal which may form. Boil as rapidly as possible to the required temperature 154 C.
15. If any scum appears on the surface remove it with a spoon.
16. When the required temperature has been reached, remove the pan quickly from the heat and plunge it into a pan of cold water for a few seconds to prevent the temperature rising further due to heat absorbed by the saucepan.
17. Keep the cold water handy ready to plunge your hand in if/when you burn it on the sugar!
18. Holding each choux bun on its side, dip into the caramel (which will be very HOT) and arrange the buns around the baser of the mould. The caramel will help them stick together. Continue dipping the buns in the caramel and layering them up around the mould, until you reach the top. If the caramel gets too thick, briefly return it to the heat to warm through, but be careful not to burn it. Once assembled, leave the caramel to set for at least 30 minutes.
• Can also create the tower by building up in careful circles into a pyramid, without using a mould: just hold each bun in place for a few seconds to set the caramel glue.