I was in a baking rut {sounds so *first world* when said out loud- sigh} a bit like other things of late it’s all a bit same, same. I like to bake its kind of repetitive but its a good repetitive and they say a repetitive motion like cleaning up after a good bake is healthy and stress relieving. However baking of late has become a chore, expected and with the added comments from B2 who is my main baker boy telling me that my efforts last week were less than ‘okay’ I was trying to break out of the same same of chocolate or vanilla muffins or cake.
So whilst flipping through Rachel Khoo’s Little Paris Kitchen {my current favourite} I came across a recipe for Chouqettes..or Sugar Puffs in english. Essentially its just Choux pastry done as balls rather than the eclairs that most people know the pastry for. I had attempted these once when I was 10 years old because as an only child with two working parents one being FIFO I spent a lot of time on my own hence I did a lot of cooking. I remember making these and them tasting ‘eggy’ and so I never made them again scared off and from memory they seemed hard but with time comes patience and so I tried them again on Monday.
My first attempt however took me right back to my parents kitchen with the mustard yellow cupboards and the shiny laminate floor that got waxed and stripped every month. I always thought my mum crazy for stripping and waxing those floors so often but I get it now. Now. Then I thought she was just crazy. Those laminate floors had come with the house. They were housing commision solid infact every house {named grollo house just built in mass production} built after cyclone Tracey until the late 80’s had that laminate floor. The point was {that as a kid I could not see then} we couldn’t afford different flooring what with interest rates of 19% we were lucky we could eat so if you can’t replace them you make the look like new and my mother did every weekend before my dad came home from which ever job he was on for the weekend.
So those Chouquettes like my first attempt all those years ago again tasted eggy but just like then I rushed the recipe didn’t let it cool enough and added all the eggs at once; to save time, of course. However unlike all those years ago I wasn’t scared off by my first failure instead I was determined and so with understanding, patience and the need for why becoming part of me I researched and the second lot was better infact moreish and B2 the baker boy has asked for more.
So if you decided if you are keen to try the recipe my tips to avoid it seeming hard {because its French people think its hard not being able to say the name alone makes it seem hard} have all your ingredients ready to go and have all your equipment ready to go ie everything measured out and trays lined and a bag organised. For the piping bag I used a plastic zip lock bag with the corner cut off perfect~ don’t do my trick of filling a bag then run around finding scissors; find the scissors first. And I know it says so but don’t skip it.. when adding the egg make sure the dough is cool to touch but not cold and add the egg one at a time and is fully incorporated before adding the next.
Needless to say it just took one experiment and I’m out of my baking rut {and others} and since then have made other little fancy that I will post over the coming weeks. And yes these should you like can be filled with whipped cream just a little hole at the base and fill -yum!!
Chouquettes.
What you will need:
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
3 1/2 tbsp butter, room temperature
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
icing sugar for dusting
chocolate chips and or nibbed sugar
How to:
Preheat oven to 180c. Line a baking tray with grease proof paper.
Combine milk, water, butter, sugar and salt in a small saucepan over a medium heat until butter has melted. Then and add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until dough comes together in a ball. Continue to cook, stirring continuously, for one additional minute.
Transfer dough to mixer or clean bowl and let mix at a low-speed for 2-3 minutes until slightly cooled. Beat eggs in eggs one at a time, waiting until each egg is fully incorporated to add the next one. Increase mixer speed to medium-high for 1 minute to ensure that batter is very smooth. Pour mixture into a piping bag and pipe a walnut sized with a gap of 2cm between each {if they get a tip with a wet finger tap down other wise the tip will burn}. Dust with icing sugar leave for a minute before dusting again and sprinkling with chocolate chips or nibbed sugar.
Bake for 20 minutes or until light golden brown.
Eat the same day.
xxD
{image with thanks to here and Rachel Khoo}
