Holiday entertaining is all about wringing maximum impact from minimal effort.
Each component comes together twice as fast as it would on the stove and turns out perfectly every time.
Use the choux for gougeres or eclairs; stir heavy cream and(salted!)
(Imagine a sauce thickened with arouxorbeurre manie, then imagine one thickened with a scoop of raw flour.
Its the same principle.)
All of this is to say that you cant skip tempering when making microwave pastry cream.
I useMartha Stewarts pastry cream recipe, and so should you.
(I used a soup container.)
This should take no more than two minutes.
Press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream and chill completely.
This will keep in the fridge for up to three days.
The Pate a Choux
This was my gateway drug into the world of microwave patisserie.
The microwave makes it all but impossible to fuck up.
My go-torecipecomes from the Flavor Bender blog; all I do is swap a microwave for a saucepan.
This recipe works because it calls for more flour than most, which results in a sturdier puff.
Fold the edges of the open bag over the rim to stabilize it.
Pour the water into a large, microwave-safe measuring bowl and add the butter.
(I use4-quart Anchor Hocking bowlsfor this.)
Mix the flour, salt, and sugar together in a separate bowl while you wait.
Give it at least three full minutes in the microwave, although mine took closer to six.
Once its fully cooked, set the dough aside to cool for a few minutes before adding the eggs.
Scoop the dough into your pastry bagand pipe onto the prepared baking sheets in roughly one-inch diameter circles.
Press any pointy bits down with a wet finger.
(This lets extra steam escape.)
Repeat with any remaining dough.
Cooled puffs will keep in an airtight container for about two days.
Since I never make mistakes, thats exactly how it went.
Save a lifeput a lid on your caramel.
(Melted sugar gets dangerously hot.
If you wouldnt put it in the oven, dont use it here.)
Stir in just enough water to make something with the texture of wet sand.
Gather your chilled pastry cream and choux puffs and get ready to build a festive, sugary tower.
Pour boiling water into the bowl until its level with the top of the caramel.
This will keep it from seizing halfway through construction.
Line a serving tray with parchment, or re-use the parchment-lined pan you baked the puffs on.
Being a Pisces, I took a freehand approach to construction and passionately wish I hadnt.
Trace the stupid circle, folks.
(This is another thing I didnt do and really wish I had.)
Once youre confident in the arrangement, start piping the pastry cream into your choux puffs.
If you might rope someone into helping with this, assembly-line style, itll go quickly.
When your tower is complete, stand back and admire your work.
Good gracious, of course not; its a tower of profiteroles glued together with caramel.
But if theres any time to make an impractically showy dessert, I definitely think its now.
