Passport
Baker
Maureen
Location
Arkdale, WI
Baking Challenge
Choux Pastry Gateau
Have fun giving your creation a name and please describe your recipe.
I call my showstopper challenge, Gateau St. Honore a la Wisconsin Big Red. I used the traditional recipe for the gateau. First I made the puff pastry, then the choux pastry. (I hope St. Honore didn't hear me during this step – a few expletives in the kitchen. The patron saint of bakers may not have liked what he heard). I made the creme patissiere and cooled it. Then I made creme chantilly. After the choux pastry was baked, I filled the puffs. I made the salted caramel and colored it red for the Badgers. When I could touch the caramel (sorry again, St. Honore), I dipped the puffs top and bottom and lined the choux pastry ring I made on top of the puff pastry circle. I scooped the remaining creme patissiere onto the center of the puff pastry and piped creme chantilly on top of the pastry cream. Then a drizzle of caramel all over. Whew!
Tell us about your creation's final texture after baking. Are you happy with it?
I liked this challenge because it gave me a chance to practice some new skills. I had never made puff pastry from scratch and I had never made choux pastry. The puff pastry had beautiful layers (almost a shame to bury it under all that creme patissiere) Once assembled, the gateau was a very pretty creation but that didn't compare to the flavors of the creme patissiere, the creme chantilly and the salted caramel. I think the pastry was included just to give it form. I'm surprised I had enough of each to actually put it together. It tasted so good, I had a hard time not oversampling.
Detail how you added a Wisconsin twist to your flavors or presentation.
My Wisconsin twist, besides using Wisconsin dairy in my recipe, was to color the caramel red in honor of the Wisconsin Badgers' football opener on Friday. Go Big Red!
How did you do?
Rocked it.
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