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1
Preheat oven to 425F.
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and butter and flour 2 baking sheets.
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Spoon pate a chou into a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip and pipe about 55 mounds onto baking sheets, each about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, leaving 1 1/2 inches between mounds.
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4
With a finger dipped in water gently smooth pointed tip of each mound to round puffs.
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Bake puffs in upper third of oven 10 minutes, switching position of sheets in oven halfway through baking if necessary.
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6
Reduce temperature to 400F.
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and bake puffs 20 minutes more, or until puffed and golden.
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8
Let puffs stand in turned-off oven 30 minutes.
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Transfer puffs to racks to cool.
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With a skewer poke a 1/4-inch hole in bottom of each puff.
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Puffs may be made 2 days ahead and kept in an airtight container.
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Recrisp puffs in 400F.
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oven 5 minutes and cool before filling.
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In bowl of a standing electric mixer beat pastry cream until just smooth and soft enough to fold in heavy cream (do not overbeat).
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In a chilled bowl with cleaned beaters beat heavy cream until it holds soft peaks and fold in praline powder.
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Fold whipped cream mixture into pastry cream.
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Chill filling, covered, about 1 hour, or until cold.
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Transfer filling to a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain top and barely fill each puff (do not overfill), putting filled puffs in a shallow baking pan.
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19
In a heavy saucepan stir together sugar and water and bring to a boil over moderately low heat, stirring and washing down sides of pan with a brush dipped in cold water to dissolve any sugar crystals until sugar is dissolved.
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20
Boil syrup over moderately high heat, without stirring, until it begins to turn pale caramel.
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Still without stirring, gently swirl syrup in pan (so that it colors evenly) until it begins to turn golden caramel and remove from heat.
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Caramel will continue to color slightly off heat and will thicken as it cools.
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As caramel begins to reach thickness of corn syrup, return pan to a burner at lowest possible heat, using a flame-tamer if necessary, and keep warm (do not simmer).
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24
Line a tray with wax paper.
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Working quickly with 1 cream puff at a time, impale bottom of each puff on tip of a small serrated knife and carefully dip top in caramel, leaving bottom 1/3 inch uncoated (to facilitate handling) and letting excess drip off.
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(Be extremely careful when working with hot caramel.)
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Set puff, coated side up, on prepared tray.
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When all puffs are coated, center 3, touching to form a triangle, on a cake-decorating turntable.
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29
Form a ring of 9 puffs around triangle and, working with 1 of the 9 puffs at a time, carefully dip 1 edge into caramel, letting excess drip off, and affix puffs to one another in a tight ring around first 3 puffs.
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30
Dip bottom of a puff in caramel and center it over middle of first 3 puffs.
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31
Working with 1 puff at a time, carefully dip 1 edge of each puff into caramel, letting excess drip off, and build a second, slightly smaller ring on top of the first using 8 puffs (if necessary adding an additional puff in center to stabilize ring), making sure each puff is glued with caramel to the one before it.
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32
Build on top of first 2 rows 4 more rings of 5 puffs each in same manner, always building from inside out with an additional puff in center as support.
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For top of croquembouche build 1 layer of 3 puffs and top with 1 puff.
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Let caramel harden 5 minutes and loosen croquembouche from turntable with a spatula.
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35
Transfer croquembouche with hands to a platter.
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36
Slip 5-inch-wide bands of wax paper under edges of croquembouche to protect from caramel drips.
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Remove caramel from heat and cool to thickness of molasses, 2 to 3 minutes.
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38
Dip tip of a small spoon in caramel and drizzle caramel decoratively over croquembouche.
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(Alternately, all puffs may be dipped in initial caramel and put in a shallow serving bowl without being molded into a cone shape.)
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Let caramel harden and remove wax paper.
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croquembouche is best served as soon as possible but may be made up to 12 hours ahead and chilled but not covered.
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42
To serve croquembouche, lightly shatter caramel cage with back of a knife and dismantle, 1 puff at a time.
