The winner of MasterChef Singapore Season 2, Derek is known for his adventurous use of cooking techniques and tech gadgets like Thermomix®, shared his recipe and the steps to make the Choux au Craqueline – a puff pastry topped with a crunchy cookie top.
About Derek Cheong:
The engineering student is best known for his bold use of Thermomix® to stretch the boundaries of cooking! Known for his desserts, this tutorial is NOT to be missed!
Here are the recipe:
Ingredients for Choux Pastry:
150g Water
75g Milk
120g Unsalted Butter
180g All purpose flour
165g Eggs
4g Sugar
4g Salt
Ingredients for Craquelin dough:
50g All purpose flour
50g Icing sugar
50g Butter
Ingredients for Burnt Vanilla Milk:
4 Vanilla bean pods (must be the stick)
170g Milk
Ingredients for Burnt vanilla creme diplomat:
3 Eggs yolks (50g eggs)
55g Sugar
25g Cornstarch
200g Whipping cream
2 Gelatine sheets
1g Salt
Preparations:
Craquelin dough
1. Place sugar, flour, butter and salt in mixing bowl and mix 1 min/speed 6.
2. Roll out the dough 3-5mm thick and cut into round discs.
3. Reserve in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Choux pastry
1. Add milk, water, butter, salt and sugar to mixing bowl and cook 5min/100°C/speed 1 without the measuring cup.
2. Add flour and without measuring cup, mix 1min 20sec/speed 2. Remove mixing bowl from machine and allow to cool for 10min.
3. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
4. Put the bowl back in its position, set speed 4 and add the eggs one by one. After adding last egg, mix 30sec/speed 5. Pour choux pastry into piping bag and pipe choux pastry on cookie sheet, leaving 5cm space between.
5. Place each craquelin dough disc, place on top of the choux and press lightly.
6. Bake the choux for 20-25 minutes (200°C) or until golden brown.
7. Turn the oven off, partially open the door, and let them dry for at least 10 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and allow the choux to cool completely before piping in the filling
Burnt Vanilla Milk
1. Bake the vanilla pods in a preheated oven at 200°C until it curls and burn for 10 – 15 min.
2. Remove the pods and torch further.
3. Blend the pods with milk into burnt vanilla milk – 30sec/80C/speed 10, then cook 20 min/80°C/speed 3. Sieve and reserve for later use.
Burnt vanilla creme diplomat
1. Soak gelatine in ice water
2. Add egg yolks and corn starch into mixing bowl and mix 1min/speed 4. While mixing, add sugar and salt.
3. Insert butterfly. Add burnt vanilla milk and cook until thickened 10min/80°C/speed 3.
4. Add bloomed gelatine and dissolve.
5. Remove the butterfly and put the cream in a piping bag with a curly nozzle. Reserve in the refrigerator.
6. Set aside to cool with cling wrap on the surface.
7. On a clean mixing bowl, insert the butterfly and pour in whipping cream. Whip 30 sec/speed 4. Increase or reduce time if necessary.
8. Add whipped cream into reserved vanilla milk. Whisk manually on an ice bath.9. Transfer filling to a piping bag and pipe it onto cooled choux pastry.