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Tiramisu and Plum Cup

  Ingredients For 6 people For the tiramisu: 250g mascarpone cheese. 1 tablespoon rum (optional). 2 egg yolks. 120g sugar. 200g whipped cream with two tablespoons of icing sugar. For the fruit base: 380g plums, peeled and pitted. 1 tablespoon lemon juice. 80g sugar. 80g water. You'll also need: Ladyfinger biscuits, or magdalenas, or sponge cake. Fresh or frozen raspberries.   Preparation To make the plum compote : Put the plums, peeled, pitted, and cut into small pieces, in a saucepan over heat with the 80g of water, lemon juice, and 80g of sugar. Cook for two minutes, remove from heat, strain, and set aside the pulp and juice separately. Mix the tablespoon of rum into the juice (if you're using it). To make the tiramisu : Beat the two egg yolks with the 120g of sugar and cook in a double boiler for 8 minutes, counting from when the water starts to boil. Remove from the double boiler and let it cool down a bit. Mix in the mascarpone, beating until you get a smooth cream. Separ...

Cream Puff Tower: Croquembouche



This is the kind of showstopper you bring out for a real celebration! It looks intimidating, I know, but trust me — once you get the hang of making choux pastry, building this tower becomes pure fun.




Ingredients

For about 60 medium-sized cream puffs
  • 1/4 liter of water.
  • 150g flour.
  • 100g butter.
  • 6 whole eggs.
  • 1 pinch of salt.

For the cream puff filling

  • 750g heavy cream.
  • 120g sugar.

For the caramel

  • 200g sugar.
  • 5 tablespoons of water.

You'll also need

  • Cardboard.
  • Aluminum foil.

Preparation

First things first: make a cardboard cone whatever size you want your tower to be. Mine was 30cm tall and 15cm in diameter. Wrap it completely with aluminum foil so it's smooth and protected.
To make the cream puffs, grab a tall saucepan and bring the water and butter to a boil. Once the butter has melted completely, dump in all the flour at once. Lower the heat right away and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball.

Take the pan off the heat and start adding the eggs one at a time. Don't add the next egg until the previous one is completely mixed in. If your eggs are really large, you might not need all six. The dough is ready when you lift it with the spoon and it falls back down like a smooth ribbon. You want a glossy, silky paste.
Preheat your oven to 190°C.
Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
Spoon the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe little mounds onto the parchment — don't make them too big because this dough puffs up quite a bit. The ones in the photo are about the size of a walnut.

Slide the tray into the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Here's a trick my mother taught me: when they're done, turn off the oven but leave the puffs inside. Crack the oven door open just a bit and let them sit for 5 minutes. This keeps them from collapsing as they cool.
Store them uncovered in a cool spot until you're ready to fill them.
Whip the cream with the sugar until it forms stiff peaks. Transfer it to a pastry bag with a thin tip. Without slicing the puffs open, poke a small hole with the tip and inject the cream right inside. It's easier than you think.
Now make your caramel by heating the sugar and water together until it turns a rich amber color.
Dip the bottom of each filled puff into the warm caramel and press it onto the foil-covered cone. Start at the base and work your way up in a spiral, sticking each puff to the one below it with caramel. Keep the caramel over low heat so it stays workable.
Once your tower is built, drizzle caramel threads over the top for that classic spun-sugar look.
And there you have it — an absolute stunner of a dessert.

Enjoy!
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