Choux with red fruits and pistachio creme

In the past years I've created a lot of cupcakes who can`t seem to find their place in one of my posts.. There is always something more new, more current in the moment I am deciding on writing a post ..

Well it's time to get back in history, pull out all the photos, and almost left out recipes that I certainly do not want to ignore, let alone forget ..

First in line is definitely a dessert that you may know from my posts about Paris .
Yes, a replica of Paris Choux attempt resulted in my favorite "cupcake" I made in the year 2011. And it would be shameful not to share with you. I admit, it is not the simplest recipe out there .. but definitely worth every minute invested!

The dough for choux
 (taken from the book-Millefeuilles-sucres, Sales & Maison-Catherine Kluger)

140g flour
4 eggs
125ml milk
125ml water
110g butter
5g sugar
5g salt

 Red fruits jam

400g berries (raspberries, strawberries, blackberries ..)

1 tablespoon gelatin (for jam)

sugar (if desired, 1-2 tablespoons, not too sweet!)

Pistachio paste

250-300 g cleaned pistachios

250 g of sugar

70 ml of water

few drops of almond extract

Pistachio Chantilly

200 ml whipping cream

100 g mascarpone cheese

50-70 g  pistachio paste

30 g sugar

So lets begin with choux pastry for profiteroles / éclairs / creme puffs.

• In the cooking pot boil together milk, water, butter, sugar and salt, until it boils. Remove from heat and stir in flour with a whisk. Return the pan to the fire and cook stirring vigorously until the mixture dries out and a film forms on the bottom of the pan. Take the dough off the heat and let 1-2min to rest.
• Stir the eggs, one by one, into the warm mixture with a spatula. The goal is to minimize entering the air in the batter, so avoid mixing or whisking.
• With this mixture fill the muffin molds (fill 2/3 of the mold).
• Bake them in the preheated oven at 170 ° C for 20min.

Red berries jam

• In the cooking pan cook fruit till it starts breaking to pieces. Add the sugar and gelatin and cook until it reaches the desired density/thickness. 
• Be aware that the jam itself will thicken a bit when it cools down.

Pistachio paste

 

• Clean the pistachios and blend them in a food processor There will still remain some bits but it should look like a compact paste.
• Heat the sugar and water into a sugar syrup. As soon as the syrup begins to thicken, and before the color changes from white to brownish, pour it over the paste of pistachios. Add almond extract and stir well. 
• Before using the paste, soften it with a spoon.

Pistachio Chantilly

• Whip the whipped cream. Add in the mascarpone, the paste of pistachios and sugar. Mix well together.

Filling the Choux

• Cut the tops of the choux (and the surprise awaits inside-lots and lots of empty space! :)
• Begin to fill it by putting in a spoonful of jam and top it with the pistachio chantilly so high that the cap of the choux sticks onto it.

Yes, the filling is the simplest and quickest step of the whole process. In fact, no .. wrong .. The simplest step is one that follows, which is melting it in your mouth!
Amazingly light foamy creme, sweet and salty flavors of pistachio, a big hit with the sour red fruit jam. And the Choux recipe that uses milk + water instead of water only is my new discovery and pride.
Have a fun weekend with this dessert .. You will return to it often!