Pastry Chef Wally Hewak
Goodies Bake Shop
Choux paste is completely different from other types of pastry. When cooked, the dough rises and forms a crisp outer shell, leaving the centre hollow and ready to be filled.
Ingredients
Choux Paste
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 Tbsp sugar
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp bread flour
6 eggs
Milk Chocolate Chestnut Mousse
3 cups whipping cream
5 oz milk chocolate (to cover)
1 1/3 cups chestnut purée
4 egg yolks
Praline Pastry Cream
2 cups less 2 Tbsp whole milk
1/4 cup sugar, divided
3 Tbsp cornstarch
6 eggs
4 Tbsp crushed Skor bars
4 Tbsp crushed, roasted hazelnuts
3 Tbsp hazelnut paste
Garnish
48 whole roasted hazelnuts
6 oz melted milk chocolate
1 1/4 cups toasted sliced almonds
6 oz melted dark chocolate
Icing sugar, to dust
Method
Choux Paste
- Preheat oven to 350˚F.
- Cut a sheet of parchment to fit a cookie sheet. With a pencil, draw 16 circles, 2 1/4-inches in diameter. Flip parchment over, so pencil markings are facing down.
- In a medium saucepan, bring milk, butter, sugar and salt to a boil.
- Mix in flour until incorporated. The dough will form a thick paste or ball. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
- Transfer to a medium mixing bowl and add eggs one at a time with electric mixer on medium speed. Mix for 4-5 minutes after the last egg is added and mixture cools slightly.
- Using a medium star tip, fill a pastry bag with the dough, and pipe rings on the parchment paper, using the pencil lines as guides.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and there is no moisture showing.
Milk Chocolate Chestnut Mousse
- In a large bowl, whip cream to medium stiff peaks. Set aside.
- Whisk yolks into chestnut purée until smooth.
- Quickly whisk purée mixture into the melted chocolate.
- Add a small amount of whipped cream to the chocolate mixture to loosen it.
- Fold the chocolate mixture into the remaining whipped cream.
- Chill until set.
Praline Pastry Cream
- Bring milk and half the sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan.
- In a bowl, sift together remaining sugar and cornstarch.
- Whisk eggs into sugar mixture.
- Add a bit of the boiling milk mixture to the eggs. Stir well, then add entire mixture back into the pan.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes until it thickens, to remove any starchy taste.
- Transfer to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap to avoid forming a skin.
- Pass pastry cream through a sieve to remove any lumps. Fold in remaining ingredients.
Chocolate Leaves
- Brush melted dark chocolate on one side of clean, non-toxic leaves to coat. Let set.
- Brush on a second coat. Let set, then peel off leaf.
Assembly
- Dip the top of each ring into the melted milk chocolate, then press into the almonds. Let chocolate set.
- Cut the top 1/3 off the ring and hollow out the bottom.
- Pipe the praline cream into the bottom of the shell using a pastry bag with no tip.
- Using a medium star tip, pipe a ring of chestnut mousse on top of the pastry cream.
- Place the ‘lid’ on top and decorate with the chocolate leaves and nuts.
- Dust with icing sugar.
Yield 16 servings