Saturday, July 26, 2014

Chouquettes—France Vacation Inspired Recipe


Chouquettes—France Vacation Inspired Recipe http://uTry.it

If you’ve been following me on Instagram (Click here if you haven’t!), you might recalled that I recently took a trip to France!   The purpose of the trip?  Besides taking some time off to relax, it was mainly a trip to celebrate our up coming 10th-year wedding anniversary!  I know, I couldn’t believe it had been 10 years already.  It was nice to take a trip to relax, a true vacation, without the Kids.  Although I missed them terribly, for the first few hours after boarding!  Okay, and maybe everyday during the trip.  It was awesome to spend some alone time with Hubby!  Special Thank You to my In-Laws for taking great cares of the Kids while we were gone.  No words can describe how much I appreciate their generous and thoughtful gestures.  The great news was, the Kids had so much fun with their packed activities that they didn’t want to come home either!   

Chouquettes—France Vacation Inspired Recipe http://uTry.it

We took quite many pictures on our trip and I can’t wait to share the details with you.  But I do need some time to sort them out and turn them into posts, and helpful guides.  Just in case some of you are planning to travel to France in the near future.  So stay tuned for the upcoming posts.  I guaranteed that you won't want to miss them.  Meanwhile, I missed the French Pastry terribly!    Guess that’s called the after vacation blues?  To ease some pains, I baked myself several batches of Chouquettes!  Of course, not all at once!  These were so good that my Kids couldn’t stop eating as well.

Chouquettes—France Vacation Inspired Recipe http://uTry.it

Chouquettes is a type of French baked goods consisting of a small portion of choux pastry sprinkled with pearl sugar and sometimes filled with custard or mousse.  The ones that I had while I was in France was plain, so I left them the way they were….and really, you don’t really need anything else when you have a plates piled high with these little confections.  They are crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside.  The pearl sugar on top adds a lovely crunch and sweetness. 

Chouquettes—France Vacation Inspired Recipe http://uTry.it

Here’s the bag of Pearl Sugar that I bought from France (see picture below) while I was shopping in one of their huge supermarkets.  (I know, most people go there and shop for handbags, while I shop for grocery and baking tools!)  Sorry, I just couldn’t help it!  And my Hubby was wondering why our luggage was so heavy while we flew from Paris to Cannes!  Opps!  The good news is, you can get these pearl sugar online these days, just a different brand!  (Click her to see similar product)

Chouquettes—France Vacation Inspired Recipe http://uTry.it

Ready to see how I made the Chouquettes?  Follow me to my kitchen:

1) Line baking sheet silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
2) In a small saucepan, heat the water, salt, sugar, and butter, stirring occasionally, until all the butter is melted.
3) Remove from heat and add all the flour in at once.
4) With a wooden spoon, stir quickly until the mixture is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the pan.


Chouquettes—France Vacation Inspired Recipe http://uTry.it

5) Allow the mixture to cool for a minute or two, then add the eggs, and stir until the dough is smooth and incorporated.
6) Fit a large round piping tip in a pastry bag.
7) Place pastry bag in a tall glass for easy handling (optional).
8) Transfer the dough into the pastry bag and pipe dough onto the prepared baking sheet.


Chouquettes—France Vacation Inspired Recipe http://uTry.it


9) Position the piping tip 1/2-inch above the baking sheets, pipe dough into 1 1/2-inch balls, at least 1-inch apart from each other.
10) With a clean finger, gently press the tip of the dough down.
11) Brush the top of each dough with some of the egg wash.
12) Then press the pearl/coarse sugar over the top.  Bake for 25 minutes, turn off the oven and let the baked puffs sit in the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cut a small slit on the side of each puff so the steam can escape. Cool on a wiring rack.

Chouquettes—France Vacation Inspired Recipe http://uTry.it

There were a few steps to follow but pretty straight forward and easy.  I hope you’ll give this recipe a try.  Although I can’t take you with me to France, I hope this recipe will give you a little taste of French pastry goodness.  I hope you enjoy today’s post, pictorial, and recipe.  Stay tuned for my France travel posts.

Chouquettes—France Vacation Inspired Recipe http://uTry.it



Props and Tools used in this post:

Pearl/Coarse Sugar (Click her to see similar product)
Godinger Dublin Crystal Cracker Tray (Click here for more information)
Eiffel Tower Paper Napkins (Click here to see similar product)
Mikasa Something Borrowed Salad/Desert Plates (Click here for more information)
Silpat (Click here for more information)
Pastry Bags (Click here to see similar product)
Large Round Piping Tip (Click her for more information)
Silicone Pastry Brush (click here to see similar product)
Wooden Spoon (Click here to see similar product)
Calphalon Nonstick 2-Piece Baking Sheet Set (Click her for more information)






Chouquettes: (Printable Recipe)
Makes about 30 Puffs

1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 extra large eggs, lightly whisked and at room temperature
2 to 3 tablespoons pearl sugar (coarse sugar)
Egg wash:
1 egg yolk, mixed with 1 teaspoon milk
 
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line baking sheet silicone baking mat.
In a small saucepan, heat the water, salt, sugar, and butter, stirring occasionally, until all the butter is melted.

Remove from heat and add all the flour in at once. With a wooden spoon, stir quickly until the mixture is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the pan.

Allow the mixture to cool for a minute or two, then add the eggs, and stir until the dough is smooth and incorporated.

Fit a large round piping tip in a pastry bag. Transfer the dough into the pastry bag and pipe dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Pipe the dough ½-inch above the baking sheets into the size of a small apricot, 1-inch apart from each other.

Brush the top of each dough with some of the egg wash then press the pearl/coarse sugar over the top.

Bake for 25 minutes, turn off the oven and let the baked puffs sit in the oven for another 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and cut a small slit on the side of each puff so the steam can escape. Cool on a wiring rack.



Chouquettes—France Vacation Inspired Recipe http://uTry.it



22 comments:

  1. You made these pastries look so simple to make! If I were to go to a different country I to would go grocery shopping! Thanks! lashesanddashes.com

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    1. Hehe...actually they are pretty simple to make. Glad to know you would go grocery shopping when you travel too. :)

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  2. I wish I could have a few of them with my morning tea :-) They look fantastic, Amy.

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    1. Wish I can send some over through my Laptop! :D

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  3. Oh my - a trip to France without the kids sounds heavenly (sorry, kiddos!). : ) It's so nice to come home and re-create something delicious you had on your travels. These look wonderful. Brings back happy memories...we went to Paris a couple of years ago (but we had our son with us).

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    1. Thank you so much, Monica. I know, it was a wonderful trip. :) I can't wait to go back...but I guess I'll take the kids the next time.

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  4. These look delish! I love that they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside - so YUM!

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  5. Oh my--talk about a recipe that impresses! Happy tenth to you happy two and I've bookmarked this page--such a pretty little sweet!

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    1. Thank you, Alethia. Have fun baking and hope you'll give these a try soon.

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  6. Looks good. I think I can just sit there popping these into my mouth - non stop!

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  7. Happy Anniversary! A trip to France is a wonderful way to celebrate. These look delicious! I love choux pastry, but haven't made it in a long time. Now, I really would like to make some :D

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    1. Thank you, Cindy. Yes, the trip was so awesome. And so are these Chouquette! Hope you'll give them a try soon. ;)

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  8. What a romantic place to celebrate your anniversary! Those little puffs are very cute and sweet! Can't wait to see more posts about your trip!

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  9. I love getting recipe inspiration when I travel - these look awesome!

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    1. Thank you, Ashley. Oh yeah...there are so many dishes from the trip that I've tried and wanted to recreate at home.

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  10. It's great returning from a vacation and cooking something new from inspiration. Lovely recipe

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    1. Thank you, Kathy. Oh yeah. Totally love the trip and the inspiration.

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  12. What a wonderful way to celebrate your anniversary! Loved seeing your photos and I'm so glad you had a great time :) These chouquettes look perfect, definitely wish I had a few of these treats :)

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