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Prepare the pate a choux: Place the water, salt, granulated sugar, and butter in a 4-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan, set it over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil.
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The butter should be completely melted by the time the mixture boils.
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Remove the saucepan from the heat.
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Add the bread flour all at once and incorporate it thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
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Return the saucepan to the stove and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes to dry out the paste.
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As it cooks, push the paste from side to side with the wooden spoon.
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Turn it onto itself to allow every side to touch the bottom of the saucepan, which helps it dry.
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Keep the paste moving, or it will burn.
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The paste will dry out and leave a thin film on the bottom of the saucepan.
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Remove the saucepan from the heat and transfer the paste to a large mixing bowl.
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Mix with an electric mixer set on low speed for about 2 minutes to release some of the steam.
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Continue to mix and slowly add the eggs 1 at a time, incorporating well after each addition.
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After each egg is added, the paste will become loose and look separated.
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Once each egg is well incorporated, the paste will become smooth again.
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The number of eggs used will vary depending on the size of the eggs and how well the pate a choux is dried.
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The drier it is, the more eggs you will need.
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After you have added 2 eggs, check the consistency by scooping a large amount of the paste onto a wooden spoon.
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Hold the spoon horizontally about 1foot above the bowl and watch as the batter falls from the spoon back into the bowl.
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If it is pale yellow, smooth, moist, slightly elastic, sticky, and takes 5 to 7 seconds to fall into the bowl, it is ready.
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If it appears rough, dry, and falls into the bowl in 1 big ball, it needs more eggs.
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Add another egg and check the consistency again after it is well incorporated.
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To make the caramel: Place the sugar, corn syrup and water in a 1-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until light golden brown.
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Pour the caramel into a heatproof bowl to hold the temperature of the sugar.
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Put a towel under the bowl to keep it from tipping and to protect your hands from the heat of the glass.
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Assemble the centerpiece: The caramel acts as glue.
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Dip the bottom of the first large S into the caramel and stick it to the largest base going from the out side rim of the circle, towards the center of the circle.
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In other words, the base supports should almost meet each other in the center of the circle.
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This creates a structure for the next layer to rest on.
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You will have to hold each S support in place in order for the caramel to harden and actually stick, keeping the S shape in the right position.
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Repeat using the other 4 pieces, spacing them evenly.
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Dip the bottom of the first small S into the caramel and stick it to the medium-sized base.
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Repeat using the other pieces, again spacing them evenly.
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Place the medium size base on the large S supports.
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Top the small S supports with the smallest base.
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You will have a 3 tiered structure.
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To assemble the butterflies: using the caramel as glue, connect 2 sets of the wings together.
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Do this along length of the wings.
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Adjust the wings to sit at a slight angle, as though the wings are in mid-flight.
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Do this with all 10 wing sets, creating 5 total butterflies.
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Using a paring knife dipped in the caramel to spread it might be easier than dipping the wings or bodies in the bowl of caramel.
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You may need to prop the wings up while they harden.
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You can do so using 2 rolling pins or 2 thick books lying with about 2 inches between them.
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The space between them is where the glued center juncture will rest on the work surface and you will be able let the wings harden on a slight angle; this way you will not have to hold them in place until they harden.
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Using more caramel, glue the bodies to the area where you glued the wings together.
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Place the fatter end of the body at the top section where the wings are joined.
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Glue the antenna to the fatter part of the bodies.
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If at some point during the gluing process the caramel has become to stiff to use; place the caramel in the microwave oven at 30-second intervals, until it loosens up for you to use it again.
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Once the butterflies have been assembled and the caramel has hardened, you can then glue them wherever you like on the 3-tiered centerpiece.
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Place the centerpiece on a large tray.
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Display the Bomboloni and the Cloud Puffs around the centerpiece.
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Voila!
