Biting into one of the crispy-caramel-coated cream puffs that make up a croquembouche is very much like breaking into that first crackle-topped bite of crème brulee. So, the French title meaning “crunch in the mouth” makes total sense. I’d seen these fairy-tower confections before, but when my kids came home from a wedding in France where croquembouche was the traditional nuptial cake, I decided to make one.
While the recipe requires patience, the result is truly worth it. To ease assembly, I made a paper cone to use as the base for the croquembouche, which helps a lot. I also made some of the puffs tiny, to fill in spaces. But the most challenging bit is working with molten sugar caramel. You’ll dip the cream puffs in this to stick them to the tower and then spin some in ethereal threads around the finished piece. Molten caramel is really hot stuff, so I used small kitchen tongs to hold the puffs as I dipped to avoid getting burned. Because the caramel cools quickly, you may have to make a second batch to complete the entire tower. And to clean the pots, don’t panic! Just immerse and soak in hot water—the sugar will eventually dissolve and come off. Continue Reading…