Search This Blog

FILLED PATE A CHOUX SWANS - DARING BAKERS CHALLENGE AUGUST 2012


Kat of The Bobwhites was our August 2012 Daring Baker hostess who inspired us to have fun in creating pate a choux shapes, filled with crème patisserie or Chantilly cream. We were encouraged to create swans or any shape we wanted and to go crazy with filling flavors allowing our creativity to go wild! 






You’ll find recipes for vanilla, chocolate and coffee Crème Patisserie from May 2010 Daring bakers challenge, Croquembouche. 

Here is the link for CROQUEMBOUCHE/PIECE MONTEE
 



PATE A CHOUX

Ingredients:

All-purpose flour - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Eggs - 4 or 5 large (add depending on the consistency of the batter)
Butter - 6 tbsp







 

Method:

Preparing batter:

1. Combine water, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally. At boil, remove from heat and sift in the flour, stirring to combine completely.
2. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly until the batter dries slightly and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
3. Transfer to a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon 1 minute to cool slightly.
4. Add 1 egg. The batter will appear loose and shiny.
5. As you stir, the batter will become dry-looking like lightly buttered mashed potatoes.
6. At this point that you will add in the next egg. Repeat until you have incorporated all the eggs. 









Piping:

1. Using a ¼” (6 mm) tip on a pastry bag, pipe out about 36 swan heads. You’re aiming for something between a numeral 2 and a question mark, with a little beak if you’re skilled and/or lucky.
2. Remove the tip from the bag and pipe out 36 swan bodies. These will be about 1.5” (40 mm) long, and about 1” (25 mm) wide. One end should be a bit narrower than the other.

Baking:

1. Bake the choux at 425◦F/220◦C degrees until well-puffed and turning lightly golden in color, about 10 minutes.
Lower the temperature to 350◦F/180◦C degrees and continue baking until well-colored and dry, about 20 minutes more.
2. Bake the heads and bodies until golden and puffy. The heads can be baked in the lower temperature to 350 F for 20 minutes.  The heads will be done a few minutes, so keep a close eye on the baking process. Remove to a rack and cool.



 
VANILLA CREME

Ingredients :

All-purpose flour - 2 tablespoons
Sugar - ½ cup
Egg yolks - 4 large well beaten
Milk - 1 cup
Vanilla extract - 1 cup
Unflavored gelatin - 1 tablespoon
Heavy Whipping cream - 1 cup 





Method:

1. In a medium saucepan combine gelatin, flour, and sugar. Mix very well.
2. Add milk and egg yolks and turn heat to medium-low.
3. Stir almost constantly until mixture is thick enough to cover the back of your spatula or spoon. This should take about 10 minutes.
4. Once thick, immediately dump into a bowl, straining the mixture if you are concerned about lumps of cooked egg.
5. Add the vanilla, and mix in well.
6. Cover the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and chill for about 45 minutes.
7. You do not want the mixture to set, just to continue thickening.
8. Now is a good time to begin your choux paste.
9. In a large bowl, beat cream until light peaks form.
10. Carefully fold the vanilla mixture into the whipped cream until the mixture is well-blended and fairly smooth.
11. Refrigerate mixture if not using immediately.


Assembly:

    Take a swan body and use a very sharp knife to cut off the top 1/3rd to ½.
    Cut the removed top down the center to make two wings.
    Dollops a bit of filling into the body, insert head, and then add wings.

ENJOY THE LIGHT AIRY DESSERT!!!!

Valarmathi Sanjeev  – (August 27, 2012 at 5:32 AM)  

OMG...that looks amazing and wonderful...great job Pavithra...perfect, choux swans looks really cute...Happy Birhtday.

Priya Suresh  – (August 27, 2012 at 5:50 AM)  

Omg, those pastry swans looks fabulous and damn cute.

Renata  – (August 27, 2012 at 5:55 AM)  

What an array of breathtaking photos! Your swans are just perfect and could be on the cover of a cookbook! Seriously!!

Finla  – (August 27, 2012 at 6:00 AM)  

Wowo they look so perfect and beautiful i loved the way you achieved the perfect beek :-)

lata raja  – (August 27, 2012 at 6:33 AM)  

Perfectly made swans. Look beautiful.And very beautifully captured too. Happy birthday once again Pavithra!

marilyne  – (August 27, 2012 at 6:35 AM)  

I love your pictures, great looking swans!

Hamaree Rasoi  – (August 27, 2012 at 7:22 AM)  

Am I dreaming here ....My God it would take me some ages to master this kind swans making...The beek is looking so perfect...Master piece I must say

Smita Srivastava  – (August 27, 2012 at 7:56 AM)  

A beautiful treat both for eyes & the palate !!!

Perspectivemedley  – (August 27, 2012 at 9:13 AM)  

Oh... thw swans look perfectly made! Very very daring :)

great-secret-of-life  – (August 27, 2012 at 9:26 AM)  

super yummy swan.. very beautifully presented..
Great-secret-of-life.blogspot.com

Nithya  – (August 27, 2012 at 10:28 AM)  

Beautiful presentation - I am now inspired to try it!

Bergamot  – (August 27, 2012 at 10:36 AM)  

OMG, they look so beautiful, very appetising. Totally stumped!!

Gen  – (August 27, 2012 at 10:40 AM)  

So pretty!!! They look wonderful!

Kim  – (August 27, 2012 at 11:25 AM)  

So pretty, they look so good. I must try your pastry cream recipe!

Shanthi Krishnakumar  – (August 27, 2012 at 12:14 PM)  

Happy birthday and awesome decoration!!

Nithya  – (August 27, 2012 at 12:15 PM)  

This looks fantastic :) love it so much. Wish I could really taste it right now. So tempting it looks :)

Happy birthday odhina :) Hope you are having a great day :)

ByBy  – (August 27, 2012 at 2:12 PM)  

Wow, beautiful swans and great pictures!

What's for dessert?  – (August 27, 2012 at 3:41 PM)  

Great job and beautiful presentation.

Agos  – (August 27, 2012 at 4:23 PM)  

So cute! I love the puffy heads.

Anh  – (August 27, 2012 at 6:16 PM)  

woa! Yours look absolutely perfect!

shelley c.  – (August 27, 2012 at 6:57 PM)  

Your swans are absolutely beautiful - the shaping on the necks/heads is so dainty and lovely! Really great job!

Korena  – (August 27, 2012 at 10:46 PM)  

Wow, your swans are gorgeous and your photos are amazing! I love how crisp and brown your pate a choux is - mine could have been baked a little bit longer.

Raks  – (August 27, 2012 at 10:47 PM)  

Wow, truly master piece! As usual great effort in making and and clicking :)

Unknown  – (August 27, 2012 at 11:17 PM)  

Beauty at it best, how delicious will these be :)

http://shwetainthekitchen.blogspot.com/

Bread and Companatico  – (August 28, 2012 at 3:22 PM)  

your photography is enchanting and your swans are perfection in a pastry. so glad to have discovered your amazing work!

Latha  – (August 28, 2012 at 3:55 PM)  

WOW! Amazingly cute swans ....so lovely Pavithra!

turmericnspice  – (August 28, 2012 at 9:50 PM)  

I love your clicks....just awesome !! great job at the challenge !! high five

baker in disguise  – (August 28, 2012 at 11:01 PM)  

oh my!! how elegant.. dont miss the beaks also..perfection!!

Niriekshana  – (September 7, 2012 at 9:25 AM)  

whoa!!!!! this is amazing!!!!! :)

Saraswathy Balakrishnan  – (September 11, 2012 at 1:18 AM)  

looks so amazing and u got creative skills Pavi

Anonymous –   – (March 6, 2014 at 7:44 AM)  

Hi,

I'm working on a round-up of pate a choux recipes for The Huffington Post Taste and I'd love to feature your recipe. Please let me know if you're interested.

Thanks!

Pavithra Elangovan  – (March 7, 2014 at 10:28 PM)  

Hi Julie, Please give me your mail id and we can talk.

Thanks,
Pavithra

Post a Comment



Page copy protected against web site content infringement by Copyscape

Visit Great Cooks Community
All recipes are on Petitchef