Craquelin choux

Ingredients:

For the craquelin:
50g butter
50g sugar
50g flour

For the choux:
125ml water
60g butter
75g flour
2 eggs
1 pinch of salt

Instructions:

Prepare the craquelin by mixing butter, sugar and flour. Roll out thinly and cut into circles. Reserve in the refrigerator.
For the choux pastry, bring the water, butter and salt to the boil. Add the flour off the heat and stir vigorously.
Incorporate the eggs one by one.
Form small piles of dough on a baking sheet, place a circle of craquelin on each choux.

Bake at 180°C for 25 to 30 minutes.

History of Craquelin choux:

The particularity of this variation of the classic chou lies in its coating made of brown sugar, butter and flour which, when placed on the choux pastry, creates a fragrant and crispy dome when cooked.

At the time of tasting, it is not difficult to perceive the double consistency, soft and crumbly at the same time, ready to welcome the most varied fillings, generally creams or ganaches. The craquelin dough looks like a kind of shortbread dough, but much more buttery.

The high percentage of fat it contains, creating a sort of insulating barrier to the steam released by the choux pastry, acts as a waterproof layer that prevents the chou from deflating. The cracker allows a more uniform development of the choux pastry and brings a very pleasant crunch on the top.

The history of the appearance of choux pastry, which is invariably used by culinary experts for the preparation of éclairs, profiteroles, Paris-Brest or Saint Honoré, begins in the 16th century, and more precisely in 1533, when Catherine de Medici moved from Portovenere to Marseille for her marriage to the King of France, Henri II de Valois.