PASTRY - Chouquettes 2

By Aemelia

Ingredients

• For the sugar syrup:
• 6 tablespoons (75 g) unsalted butter, diced
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 tablespoons (25 g) sugar
• 1 cup (140 g) all-purpose flour, sifted
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• Pearl sugar for sprinkling (see note)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons water

Details

Servings 40
Adapted from chocolateandzucchini.com

Preparation

Step 1

Combine the butter, salt, sugar, and 1 cup (240 mL) water, bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat, add the flour all at once, and stir quickly with a wooden spoon until well blended. Return the pan over medium-low heat and keep stirring until the mixture forms a smooth ball that pulls away from the sides of the pan. Let cool for 3 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, stirring well after each addition. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to a day; you have just made choux pastry. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the batter from the fridge and use two teaspoons – or a piping bag fitted with a plain tip – to form small balls of batter, about the size of a walnut, that you will plop on the prepared sheet, leaving an inch of space between them. Sprinkle with pearl sugar. Bake for 20 minutes, until puffed up and golden (never ever open the oven door during the first 10 minutes of baking). Turn off the oven, open the door just a crack, and leave the chouquettes in for another 5 minutes to prevent a temperature shock, which would cause them to deflate.