Ingredients

The following ingredients have 30 Servings
  • 4 batches Low FODMAP Pâte à Choux, (formed into small cream puffs, baked and cooled)
  • 3 batches Low FODMAP Pastry Cream, (chilled and firm)
  • Pastry bag and round tip (such as Ateco #802 or Wilton #12)
  • 2 ½ cups (495 g) sugar
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Instruction

  • Filling Cream Puffs: Have all components ready. The pâte à choux puffs should be defrosted and/or already at room temperature. The pastry cream should be chilled and firm. Fit your pastry bag with the plain tip and fill the bag with the pastry cream. Insert the tip into each puff and fill with the pastry cream and place filled puffs back on a rimmed sheet pan to hold them.
  • Caramel & Assembly: Have a pretty, strong, flat platter handy that is at 10-inch (25 cm) in diameter. You will be assembling the croquembouche from the bottom up, beginning with a ring of puffs about 8-inches(20 cm) in diameter. Take a good look at your platter now and visualize what that ring will look like and where you will place your first caramel-dipped puff – about 2-inches (5 cm) in from the edge of the platter.
  • Set up your workplace as follows (if you want to get fancy, call it a mise en place, like chef’s do). Have the tray of filled puffs to your left, your pot of caramel will be in the middle, then have your display platter on the right.
  • Make your first batch of caramel. Fill a large bowl with ice water; set aside. Place sugar, water and corn syrup in a medium saucepan and stir to combine. Heat over medium heat bringing to a boil, brushing down sides with a damp pastry brush and swirling pan occasionally (do not stir), and cook until caramel turns a light amber color. Set bottom of saucepan in ice water to stop the cooking and to firm the caramel slightly. Place your pot of caramel in its spot in your workflow.
  • Start with the larger puffs for the initial rings. One by one dip a cream puff into the caramel, allowing excess to drip back into the caramel pot and immediately place on platter. Take care as the caramel is very hot and can burn you quite easily. Place that first puff 2-inches (5 cm) from the edge. Place the second puff right next to it, touching. Keep going until you have a ring of attached cream puffs, with the caramel acting as glue.
  • Your second ring will be slightly smaller. Keep going up with subsequent rings until you make a cylindrical tower. Every croquembouche takes on its own subtle shape. Keep assessing it as you go, placing larger or smaller puffs where needed to keep the tower as symmetrical as possible. Sometimes you do need to place some inside the ring for support. That’s okay! Go for it. You are playing sugar architect.
  • You will most likely have to re-warm the caramel a few times as you work; keep it fluid but try not to not cook it and darken it any more than it already is. And at some point, you will need to make your second batch of caramel.
  • When your tower is done you can dip a fork in the caramel and make casual spins of caramel around the whole creation for extra oomph. If it is too thick, simply reheat. If it is too hot, it will be too thin to make the strands. Manipulate the temperature as needed.
  • The finished croquembouche can sit for a few hours at cool room temperature. To serve, have optional chocolate sauce ready to go and use two forks to pry the cream puffs away from the tower. They won’t look very neat on the plate, but no one ever minds.