Croquembouche

hello beauty..

Jedna stvar je kada svi komplimenti za tvoje kulinarske sposobnost dolaze od tvojih ukucana,od tvojih bliskih prijatelja ili od muske strane prijatelja kojima je (ne svima,ali jako velikoj vecini) sve sto sadrzi dozu secera i cokolade uuuuu...odlicno! Tada nikada nisi na cisto o cemu se zapravo radi!? Dali te samo previse vole i ne zele razocarati? Dali su samo neiskusni u kuhinji pa nisu kompetentni za 'detaljno' analiziranje ( sto ja u biti ocekujem) ili nesto je nesto trece u pitanju.
No potpuno je druga stvar kada to analizira i komentira netko tko je strucan i profesionalan. Netko koga ti na tom podrucju cijenis i respektiras.Taj mi je komentar/kritika jako bitan i veoma vrijedan. Spremna sam i prihvacam kritiku, konstruktivnu ili de. Cak stovise,trazim i ocekujem ju. Mora postojati dio koji se moze promijeniti,poboljsati ili usavrsiti. To je bit traganja, ucenja, upijanja. Za mene, to je temelj usavrsavanja.

Jos nesto sto te ucini neizmjerno sretnim i ponosnim je kada tvoje malo dijelo ispliva negdje u masi, dobije svoje skromno mijesto ili zasjaji pod svjetlima reflektora. Nema teorije da itko moze reci da na to ostane ravnodusan. Bila to vjencana torta, novinski clanak, ili tv reportaza, to je tvoj mali pehar. Tvoj uspjeh. Tvoj potpis.


Nisam mogla odoliti a da barem nekako ne proslavim sto je Kopriva & Spinat Kolac dobio svoje malo mijesto na portalu Zdrava Krava. Jako mi je drago.Tim vise sto mi je portal jedan od omiljenih. Napravila sam mali croquembouche i odusevila sve,pa i samu sebe,po ne znam koji put vec. Obozavam ga. Ta francuska tradicionalna vjencana torta ne moze proci nezapazeno. Mali ili veliki,croquembouche dominira na svakom stolu. Vidite i sami zasto..


Croquembouche je u Francuskoj cest i na krstenjima,prvim pricestima ili krizmama. Sastavljen je od malih profiterola punjenim slasticarskom kremom. Sastavljaju se u obliku stozca i lijepe karamelom ili cokoladom. Ukrasavaju se 'paucinom ' napravljenom od karamela ili isomalta, raznim svijezim cvijecem, bademima,bombonima ili raznim vrpcama. Posebno je zanimljiv croquembouche sastavljen od macaronsa. Odlican, korak po korak vodic kako sastaviti i napraviti croquembouche mozete pogledati na blogu Not Quite Nigella. Ja sam ga radila bez potpornog stozca koji se za te prigode kupi u specijaliziranim trgovinama. Napravljeni su od stiropora ili pjene. Naravno, to sam mogla jer sam radila jedan mali. No za veci svakako preporucam podlogu kako je i prikazano. Vjerujte, lakse cete  spavati :)


'Paucina'od karamela daje poseban sjaj ovoj ljepotici. Obicno se karamel pomijesa sa glukozom i sa velikom pjenjacom ili par uvezanih vilica, sprica se preko sudopera u velikom luku gore-dolje. Sto ju vislje drzite u zraku,karamel koji pada biti ce finiji i tanji. Na kraju sve te tanke niti skupite rukom i oblikujete oblik kakav zelite. Napravite spiralu sa njima oko torte ili ju prekrijete cijelu. Nesto predivno!


Doma,to je malo nezgodno. Prvo, rijetko tko ima glukozu pa ce morati raditi sa cistim karamelom. To i nije toliki problem. Nece trajati danima jer ce se karamel vec sutradan otopiti (takodjer ovisi i o temperaturi. Ako je vruce,karamel ce vam trajati mozda koji sat). I drugo,doma vam toplo Ne preporcujem da probate dio sa spricanjem preko sudopera. Karamela i secera biti ce vam na sve strane i imati cete pune,ma prepune ruke posla dok to ocistite. Mozete napraviti mali (kao sto je kod mene na slici) koji je izvediv u kucnoj izradi. Ako ga zelite imati samo kao dekoraciju na stolu, mozete ga napraviti,tj.sastaviti bez da profiterole punite sa kremom. Trajati ce vam puno duze jer krema nece pustiti vlagu i profiteroli se nece smekaniti. A ako ga mislite 'smazati' i zabaviti svoje goste tako da se svi sami sluze i uzimaju komad po komad ( inace svi budu odusevljeni :)), onda ih nafilujte sa finom vanilija pattissiere kremom. 
Uzivajte,probajte i odusevite sve oko sebe..

Kako croquembouche napravim dosta cesto, s vremenom cu postaviti jos slika od mojih malih / velikih ljepotica. Veliki mi je izazov napraviti veliki croquembouche sa sarenim macaronsima. To imam zelju  za rodjendan iznenaditi svoju malu Bru :)

Croquembouche
profiteroli:

• 200 ml ulja
• 200 ml vode
• 200 g brasna
• prstohvat soli
• 6 jaja

Slasticarska krema / Creme Pattissiere :

•  1 l mlijeka
• 8 zumanjaka
• 200 g secera
• 50 g brasna
• 50 g skrobnog brasna/gustina
• 1 mahuna vanilije
• 150 g secera (za karamel)

Postupak:
Za profiterole prokuhajte vodu,ulje i sol te u to dodajte brasno od jednom. Kuhacom zamijesite tjesto u zdjeli i mijesajte na vatri par minuta. Maknite sa strane,malo pustite da se ohladi te dodajite jedno jaje,dobro promijesajte da se masa sjedini i tako sa svim dok ih ne potrosite. 
Sa spricom na masni papir istiskajte oblike velicine manjeg oraha. Vodite racuna da ce vam narasti duplo pa sami odlucite koliku velicinu preferirate.
Pecite na 190C cca 14 min,dok ne dobiju zlatnu boju. Ne otvarajte pecnicu dok se peku da vam nebi splasnile. Ohladite i punite ohladjenom kremom. 


Za kremu prokuhajte mlijeko. Zumanjke posebno izradite sa secerom te u to dodajte brasno i gustin. Dodajte malo vrelog mlijeka u zumanjke, promijesajte i sve vratite nazad u vrelo mlijeko. Mijesajte par minuta dok ne zgusne. Prebacite u drugu zdjelu ili plastiku,pokrijte prozirnom folijom i rukom pritisnite da izadju mjehurici zraka sa povrsine. Ohladite. 
Prije nego ju budete koristili,dobro ju izradite mikserom i nastavite puniti profiterole.


Profiterole umacite u karamel i sastavljate jedan uz drugi. Umocite samo onaj dio koji cete zaljepiti za sljedeci profiterol. 
Sa pjenjacom napravite i razvucite karamel. Nemojte da vam bude prevruc. Mora biti u fazi kada se vec pomalo krene hladiti. Tada ga mozete razvlaciti i dobiti fine tanke niti. Dignite pjenjacu u zrak i pustite da vam prvi grumen padne u zdjelu. Potom ce vam se poceti razvlaciti niti i njih polako omotavajte oko i vucite oko torte. Ako vam je karamel prevruc i tekuc, odmah ce vam curiti sa pjenjace i nece se moci fino razvlaciti.


Sretno i javite kako vam je uspjelo :)

Ovaj croquembouche bio je samo dekoracija. Ovako izgleda dan poslije,kada su se niti otopile./ This cake was only a decoration. This is how it looks day after when the threads melted. 

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Croquembouche

It is one thing when all the compliments for your culinary skills come from your family,your friends or male friends who happen to like everything that contains a little bit of sugar and chocolate (well, maybe not all of them but a big majority.I have a few who might get offended by this statement :)). Then I am never sure what is it really about?! Is it only because they love you and they don't want to dissapoint you? is it their lack of experience in the kitchen and with cooking? or is it something third?

But, it is completely different when somebody who is experienced and somebody who you respect as a chef, when they analyze your cooking and baking. That comment/critic is extremely important to me. It is extremely valuable to me. I can accept critic, whether it is constructive or deconstructive.  On the contrary. In those situations I am asking,looking and expecting one. There has to be something that can be changed,something that can get better. There is always room for advice and I like it. That is what is searching and learning about. For me that is what improvement is about.

There is something else what makes you extremely happy and proud. It is when you little piece gets an award or shines under the lights. No way anyone can say it is not a big deal. Because it is. Whether it is a wedding cake, article in a magazine or a TV appearance , it is your little trophy. It is your signature.It is your name.

I could not resist celebrating at least a little bit that my recipe Spinach & Nettle Cake got it's place on a croatian portal Zdrava Krava. I am so glad. Especially because that is one of my favorite portals about health and nutrition. I made a small croquembouche. I was thrilled. Again. I am always thrilled with this beauty. Big one or a small one,croquembouche always dominates on the table. You can see why.. 

Croquembouche is made of small profiteroles or pate choux filled with creme patissiere. It is served as a high-piled cone where profiteroles are all bound together with threads of caramel. I love the macaron croquembouche. It is just beautiful. 

A great step by step how to make a croquembouche you can find on Not Quite Nigella blog. She took a class and made great pictures of every step. Very helpful for the first time experience. I did mine without the foam cone. Of course, I could do it like that because I made a small one. But for a bigger, I definitely recommend a foam cone. Believe me, it will be less stress :)

Threads of caramel give a special touch to this cake. Usually caramel is mixed with glucose and it is best and most easy to take a big whisk and spin it over the sink back and forth. Higher you hold it, the threads will be thiner and will look more pretty. You can also take 3 or 4 forks and tie them together and you will get a tool for easier making of the threads. Take the threads from the sink to your hands and slowly form a shape to make a spiral around the cake. You can do shape as you please. Something beautiful!

At home,that is not very recommendable to do. Firs, I don't always have glucose at home. Well,that isn't even the biggest issue. Sometimes I do it only with caramel and the difference is that caramel can not hold long as glucose. It will melt. Especially if it is warm. Glucose makes it much easier to work with.It does not break as much and it stretches much better. And then....the cleaning! You will have so much work just to clan it all. It will be all over the sink,kitchen and the floor. So I suggest you do a small home made version of a Croquembouche.

If you want to have it only as a decoration,you can make it without filling the profiteroles with the pastry cream.It will last much longer because the filling will not soften them. But if you plan to eat it,you can entertain your guests by letting them pick one by one profiterole by themselves from the cake. Everybody loves it :)

Enjoy,try and let me know how it turned out..

As I make croquembouche often,I will update with pictures. I'd love to make a big one with colorful macarons for my baby Bru's bday ..

Croquembouche

profiteroles:

• 200 ml sunflower oil
• 200 ml water
• 200 g flour
• 1/2 tea spoon salt
• 6 eggs

creme patissiere:

• 1 liter of milk
• 8 egg yolks
• 200 g sugar
• 1 vanilla bean
• 50 g flour
• 50 g cornstarch
• 150 g sugar ( for the caramel)

Directions:

For the profiterole bring the water,oil and salt to a boil. Add all the flour to the water and cook the mixture stirring vigorously with wooden spoon for 1,2 minutes. Put aside,let stand for a minute and then add eggs,one by one. Let the mixture cool a bit and pipe a hazelnut size buns on the lined baking pan. Bake for around 14 min on 190C. Do not open the oven in the meantime.

For the creme,bring milk and the bean to a boil. Mix egg yolks and sugar until fluffy and ad the flour and the cornstarch. Mix everything good and take approximately 1 cup of hot milk and pour into the eggs. Mix and bring everything back to the milk and cook until it thickens,around 2,3 minutes. Make sure you stir all the time because the creme can burn very quickly. Place in another bowel,cover with foil and leave it in fridge to cool. 

Cold,mix it good one more time and fill the pastry bag. In a choux poke a hole with a wooden spoon and fill them. 

Melt the sugar for the caramel and dip just a small part of the profiterole in the caramel. The part where you will stick/glue next choux to it. Repeat with all the profiteroles placing them in a circle. First make a border circle then the middle. For the border take the best ones since they are the one you can see. The middle is only as a support for the cake not to crash.

When you finish, decorate it as you like and prefer. With fresh flowers,satin tapes,candies or with caramel threads. For the threads I recommend that you use the caramel when it starts to thicken (leave it around 5 min off the fire). Then the caramel stretches slowly and easy and it is much easier to work with. Pul them around the cake and have fun :)

And please let me know how it turned out. I am really looking forward to see it :) And if you have any questions,please fell free to ask.