Advertisement
Choux Pastry
Appears in
Published 1983
The method for choux pastry is quite different from other pastries. For one thing iťs made in a saucepan. You start by bringing the water and fat to the boil, then the flour is quickly added all at once. This is an important stage because the heat will immediately cook the flour and with a bit of stirring, the mixture cooks to a kind of roux in the saucepan. It’s terribly important to tip the flour into the boiling water and not the other way round or the water stops boiling.
Once the mixture has cooled a little, the eggs are beaten in. This is where the hard work begins. It’s best to beat the eggs directly into the contents of the pan using a wooden spoon. Or, you can use an electric hand mixer. The eggs must be beaten in gradually and very thoroughly until you get the right texture. It must be smooth, shiny and just firm enough to hold its shape, like softly whipped cream. Up to this stage choux pastry can be set aside and baked later. In fact, a short rest in a cool place actually improves choux pastry – it becomes firm and easier to use for piping.