Pâte à Choux and Pastry Cream

Paris Brest

Paris Brest was created to commemorate a popular bicycle race between Paris and Brest. Its shape represents a bicycle wheel and was a popular treat with riders because of its energy-giving high calorie value (that's why it's yummy!). Today it can be found in pastry shops throughout France.

Croquembouche

Croquembouche is a traditional French wedding cake

Eclairs

When it comes down to it, all the delicious desserts you see above--the éclairs, the croquembouche, the cream puffs, and the Paris-Brestthe--are a combination of two key components: Pâte à Choux and Pastry Cream.

Pâte à Choux is the delicious buttery dough. The first step to making Pâte à Choux is bring water and butter (scary amounts) to a boil. Then remove it from the stove and stir in the flour. After the flour is stirred in, place it on the stove while continuously stirring in order to cook the starch and dry out the dough. After the starch is properly cooked and the dough is dried out, remove it again from the heat, but continue to stir to cool the dough. Add eggs one at a time, until it reached an elastic consistency (like the butter, scary amount of eggs). Once you reach the right texture and consistency, fill a pastry bag and piped the dough onto sheet pan. Bake.