Pink Choux Pastry

Photos: Valerie Szewczyk

Rainy days are perfect to relax at home, also to organize your closets after summer and before winter... and also baking for a break ! This is what I did Sunday... I made cute choux pastry bites, pinky ones evoking poetry and sweetness. It was exquisite accompanied by an almond flavored tea. Try it now !!

CHOUX PASTRY

Ingredients : 125g milk, 125g water, 100g unsalted butter, 150g all-purpose flour, 200g eggs, 5g granulated sugar, a pinch of salt.

Directions : Preheat oven to 170°C (340°F). 
In a pot, add water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil. 
Once butter has completely melted, take off flame, and slowly pour in flour, stirring constantly. 
Put pot back on flame and continue to work it with a wooden spoon for less than a minute. Continue stirring and kneading with spoon until the dough dries out and stops sticking to the sides of the pot. Take off flame. 
Add eggs, one at a time, stirring energetically. 
Fit a pastry bag with a tip. Fill it with batter. Squeeze out "profiteroles" onto a greezed baking tray, well-spaced. 
Bake for 20 minutes. 

CREME PATISSIERE (CUSTARD)

Ingredients : 250g milk, a drop of rose essential oil,  40g egg yolks, 80g granulated sugar

25g cornstarch, 25g unsalted butter, red food coloring.

Directions : Put the milk in a saucepan and bring it to a simmering boil.

In a bowl, add a tablespoon of cold milk, egg yolks and sugar and whisk until you get a smooth mixture. Add in corntach and mix to combine.

When the milk just begins to boil, remove from heat. Very slowly dribble the hot milk into the yolk mixture, stirring all the time. When about half of the milk has been added, place all of the yolk mixture into the saucepan over medium heat. Using a spatula or a whisk, mix the cream as it heats, making sure to reach all of the corners of the pan when you stir. Bring the mixture to a boil for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. The mixture will be thick.

Remove from heat, add butter, rose essential oil, and the red food coloring.  

Keep at room temperature before chilling the custard in the refrigerator.

PINK ICING

Ingredients : 1 egg white, 150g icing sugar, a lemon juice drop, red food coloring, pink sugar petals.

Directions : Strain the egg white. In the bowl of your food processor, pour lemon juice on egg white. Whisk  at slow speed. Add half of icing sugar, whisk at medium speed. Add the rest of sugar. Whisk again at high speed. Add the food coloring at the end. Icing is done when you get picks on the whisk.

Deep the top of each pastry on the pink icing in turning delicately. Top with a sugar petal.

Take custard off the fridge. Put it in a bowl, and whisk it. Fill pastry bag with a small tip. Garnish each choux pastry by the bottom in making a small hole.