The Art of Croquembouche
The croquembouche may not be too easy for everyone to say, but this seriously delicious French dessert is really quite the sight to behold. The croquembouche is a cone of profiteroles, which are a type of cream puff. These profiteroles are stacked high in a cone shape to create a dessert that is both attention grabbing and quite delicious. Usually they are used for special occasions such as weddings.
The heart of the croquembouche is obviously the profiteroles. Therefore, knowing how to make quality profiteroles is key to having a great croquembouche. Not everyone can tackle this tricky dessert, but if you can pull it off, everyone will know that you have some serious skills under your chef’s hat.
The first step in mastering the art of croquembouche is to not panic. Like most tasks in life, if the process is broken down into several discrete steps, the odds of success go way up. With this in mind, it makes good sense to take a look for some good instructional aids that might assist in building simply awesome and envy inspiring croquembouche.
If you have never made croquembouche before, don’t worry. There are many great resources on the Internet that should do the trick. A quick search of the Internet will no doubt return countless options for guiding you through the process of making a croquembouche, but here are a few standouts.
One resource comes to us from the famous Martha Stewart. Fresh out of the jail, Stewart is back in action and in the kitchen whipping up some of the finest croquembouche. Check out Martha’s take on the croquembouche at her website. Martha claims that her croquembouche is famous, and it does look pretty tasty. One thing that Martha can do is break down the creation of such a dessert into steps anyone can follow.
The Food Network is another place to find a good basic croquembouche recipe and instruction. The recipe at the Food Network’s website is rather detailed and should be workable for any moderately experienced cook. You can learn more at the Food Network’s website.
When you are thinking about instructional videos and cooking, don’t forget Youtube. The days of Youtube being nothing more than videos of teenage boys jumping off of moving cars are over. Youtube makes for a great place to find all sorts of wonderful cooking videos and even some on how to make and assemble croquembouche.
If you would like a great step by step guide to a fantastic croquembouche, then definitely give that ultimate how-to-site, Instructables, a visit. The croquembouche instructional video on Instructables can walk even a beginner through the process.
If you are looking for a good book on the fine art of making a croquembouche, then you should have no trouble. Amazon.com has a bunch of books on the subject of making impressive desserts. One very good cookbook comes from Sherry Yard. Yard’s The Secrets of Baking: Simple Techniques for Sophisticated Desserts is a winner, especially for those who are new to baking. This great little cookbook does a fine job covering croquembouche and other fancy desserts.
No matter what time of the year it is, odds are that there is an occasion coming up around the corner that is just beaconing for a good croquembouche. Croquembouche is often served at weddings or at Christmas time, but the fact is that these extremely tasty and beautiful creations can be enjoyed year round. So once you’ve mastered this technique, you have an impressive dessert that is sure to wow any crowd.