A croquembouche - a cone-shaped structure made of profiteroles with sweet filling, held together with caramel, chocolate or a special sweet sauce, variously decorated. I presented versions of this dessert are not just profiteroles, but Shu cakes, from simple "Savarese" which are a crispy top. Cakes filled with custard and whipped cream. One cake sealed with caramel, the other chocolate. The second difference is the color.

Color start. A Croquembouche one I did in green color, which in combination with the cone shape allows it to expand the use of the dessert and decorate this symbol of the Christmas tree Christmas table. The second pink. In order to give the sand a pink hue color, I used beet juice as food coloring I only had green. Start. Beets grate on a fine grater, squeeze the juice. One tablespoon of the juice for staining was sufficient.

For dough in a bowl, mix 88 grams of flour and 75 g of sugar and the softened butter. To grind by hand to a relative homogeneity, add beetroot juice and knead the dough until it acquires a uniform color. To do the same thing again, with the addition of green dye.

The dough of each type of roll out with a rolling pin between two pieces of edible paper or film. The thickness of the layer of about 2 mm. Directly in the paper remove the dough in the fridge until the moment you need it.

Prepare the custard. To do this, fill a pot with 750 g of milk with the vanilla pod to make an incision, pull out the seeds, and another place in a saucepan with the milk. In the absence of vanilla in pods can be replaced with a sachet of vanilla sugar or vanillin crystal, literally at the tip of a knife. Put the pan on fire and heat. To boil milk not to bring. In a large bowl place 187 g. of egg yolks (my egg was too small, because of the egg yolks into this mixture had to weigh as much as 13 pieces), 187 g of sugar 75 g corn starch. Anticipating possible questions, you will notice that the corn starch to replace potato can.

Thoroughly whisk the yolk mass. Hot milk, from which it is prudently to remove vanilla pod, if it were so, a thin stream pour in the egg mixture, stir and pour back into the pan.

On medium heat boil the milk-yolk mixture until thick, stirring regularly with a whisk to avoid lumps. A thick mass shift in a bowl, cover with clingfilm so that it touches the surface of the cream. Leave to cool to 50*. In other words, the mass should become moderately hot. Now cream add 75 g softened butter pieces and beat with a mixer. The cream is almost ready. There is not only whipped cream, but we will smeshaem them in cream immediately before using it. The cream should again cover with cling film.

One can prepare the choux pastry. In the pot to fold 200 g of milk, 160 g of water, 8 g of sugar, a pinch of salt, 150 g butter, softened, cut into pieces. Put the pan on the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Remove the pan from heat and at once add 200g of sifted flour. Mix thoroughly. You want the flour has absorbed all the liquid. After that pan back on the heat and constantly stirring to dry the dough. A couple of minutes for this is enough. As a result of such manipulations the dough becomes smooth and pliable.

The dough from the hot saucepan transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly. Meanwhile, 306 g. of eggs (I took 6 pieces) lightly whisk together in a bowl. Gradually adding the egg mixture, begin to whisk with a mixer the dough. Recommended for these purposes the nozzle "sheet/paddle" I did not have any, so I used a conventional nozzle of the mixer, in the end mixed with a spatula until the message test of smoothness, glossiness.

To prepare pans, zastelil of baking paper. On trays to transplant using a pastry bag choux pastry in the form of small, diameter 2,5-3 cm circles. Profiteroles when baking increase, because between them must be left for growth. From chilled dough cut with cookie cutter of the appropriate diameter circles. Better they are separated from the reservoir and the paper on which the dough is rolled out, if a minute or two lie down at room t. Colored circles to cover the procurement of choux pastry. Bake in the preheated oven. Now about the temperature and time. It is recommended to bake the profiteroles at t 210*C for 25-30 minutes. I had a lot of both. I baked at 200* and no more than 20 minutes, otherwise the colored shortbread dough burela and meaning of the dyes were lost. In order to choose the correct mode, I suggest to test on a small batch of cakes. I anticipate questions about the release of the cakes. Niksya focuses on 30-40 cakes. Our Lena Leena went 3 full pan. Judging by the photos, not less than 60. I counted a hundred, and then stopped counting. This is already possible to stop because Shu cake is very tasty even without the filling. But my goal was a Croquembouche.

150 g of whipping cream whisk until stable peaks and stir in the cream. Received cream using a pastry syringe or bag to fill the profiteroles. This step can also be done last cake is not only wonderfully delicious, but also beautiful, and so are the dessert. But I decided not to stop, to bring the case to its logical conclusion and tell you a sweet story. That's why I started assembling Croquembouche. There are several methods of Assembly. You can assemble the dessert in a special cone with the same name. You can put a cone from a broad base, gradually narrowing it. And you can use a cone made of improvised material (cardboard or plastic). I will demonstrate the last option. Roll a large "bag", pin, staple or tape and install in a suitable container, I used a liter jar.

It remains to prepare a binder mixture. Cook the caramel. In a small saucepan, place the 175 g of sugar, pour on top of 40 g. of water. The sugar gets wet. Cook the caramel over medium heat until bright amber color or until the "breaking test". In order to avoid sugar crystallization on the edges of the walls of the pan rubbed with a brush dipped in hot water. In order to prepare as a "connecting element" chocolate, enough chocolate to melt in a water bath.

More a matter of technique. In the top of the cardboard cone is placed first profiteroles, colored cover down (ready - high). Then put the profiteroles and dip them in hot caramel. To avoid thermal burns, it will be useful to put next to a bowl of cold water. If the caramel gets on your skin, immediately plunge the hand into water, thus avoiding injury. Sticking profiteroles tight enough, rows, moving in a circle, closing it and starting a new one. If inside the circle formed empty space, fill it with a suitable amount of profiteroles. Chocolate "glue" are similar. The advantage of this method is its relative safety. And melt the chocolate easier than to cook the caramel. Green tree took me 26 cakes, and pink 29.

So, the time has passed, you can turn the cones and to bring into the light our Croquembouche. It should be borne in mind that the "right" caramel hardens faster than chocolate. My green tree upside down stood for 30-40 minutes. Got, placed on a suitable dish, decorated. There is a wide scope for imagination, as decoration use caramel strands, candied fruits, nuts, flowers, small candies. I put a zigzag of icing sugar to mimic snow hat.

And I got cream. Spill it between the forms an hour later I was treated to delicious homemade ice cream.