Coca de ecler si choux (Pate a Choux )

Scroll down for English recipe

Am facut aceste choux- uri pentru Daring Baker, exact dupa reteta data de Little Miss Cupcake. In primii ani de bucatareala, obisnuiam sa fac coca asta de choux si sa o umplu cu tot felul de chestii sarate. Foarte bine arata, mai ales la o masa festiva. Nu sunt greu de facut, daca esti atenta si urmezi toti pasii fara graba.

Pentru choux-uri am folosit:

• 175 ml apa
• 85 g unt
• 4 oua
• 125 g faina 000
• 1 lingura zahar
• un praf de sare

Amesteca apa. untul, sarea si zaharul si topeste-le pe foc mediu. Amesteca, sa topesti untul. Lasa pana ce da un clocot.

 

Da jos oala de pe foc si adauga toata faina deodata. Amesteca sa se incorporeze bine. Pune din nou pe foc mic si amesteca cam 2 minute ca sa se usuce bine compozitia. Este foarte importanta etapa asta, pentru ca daca nu e uscata, nu se vor umfla choix-urile. Compozitia este gata cand ramane putin prinsa de fundul cratitei.

Varsa coca intr-un castron si lasa sa se raceasca putin, cam 1 minut. Adauga ouale unul cate unul, amestecand bine dupa fiecare. Ouale trebuie sa fie incorporate foarte bine. La inceput e mai greu, dar in final trebuie sa arate ca un piure de cartofi.

Cu ajutorul unui posh (se poate si cu lingurita) cu deschizatura mare, pune gramajoare de coca cu 3 cm distanta intre ele. Cu un deget putin umezit aplatizeaza-le motul, ca sa aibe o forma rotunda cand se vor coace.

Coace choux-urile 10 minute la 220 C, ca sa se umfle bine si inca 20 min la 180 C, ca sa se usuce si sa capete culoare aramie. 
Raceste-le pe un gratar.

English version

This pastry was done for Daring Baker Challenge, exactly as Little Miss Cupcake said

I used to make this type of puff-pastry (Pate a Choux) a lot  in my early years of cooking. In general I liked the savory filling, because you can fill them with whatever you want. It isn't hard to make them, but you have to follow all the steps and don' t rush.

For Pate a Choux I used:

• 175 ml water
• 85 g butter
• 4 eggs
• 125 g all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine water, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally. 

At boil, remove from heat and sift in the flour, stirring to combine completely.  Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly until the batter dries slightly and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 2 minutes. It is very important this stage. If the Batter is not dry enough, it will not puff in the oven.

Transfer to a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon 1 minute to cool slightly. Add eggs one by one, stirring very well after each addition. At the beginning it is a bit hard, but in the end the batter must look like mashed potatoes.

Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large open tip. Pipe choux about 1 inch-part in the baking sheets (if don't have a pastry bag, use a teaspoon) . Choux should be about 1 inch high about 1 inch wide.Using a clean finger dipped in hot water, gently press down on any tips that have formed on the top of choux when piping. You want them to retain their ball shape, but be smoothly curved on top. 

Bake the choux at 220◦C degrees until well-puffed and turning lightly golden in color, about 10 minutes.

Lower the temperature to 180◦C degrees and continue baking until well-colored and dry, about 20 minutes more. Remove to a rack and cool.